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Washington Nationals Ultimate Simulation: The Award Ceremony

By Ross Shinberg

CINCINNATI, OH - JULY 16: Daniel Murphy #20 of the Washington Nationals reacts while waiting to bat in the first inning of a game against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on July 16, 2017 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OH - JULY 16: Daniel Murphy #20 of the Washington Nationals reacts while waiting to bat in the first inning of a game against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on July 16, 2017 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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The 2017 Washington Nationals won our tournament, but it’s time to recognize some outstanding individual play. See who took home some hardware after the confetti fell.

We’ve finally finished an exhilarating tournament featuring the best the Washington Nationals had to offer. But now, we have one final piece for you, as it’s time to hand out some awards.

We’ve got our finals MVP, best hitting and pitching performances in a single game and round it out with the entire simulation MVP. There are several contenders for each award from throughout the years.

If this is the first article in this series you’re reading, stop! You’ve already spoiled the end, but see how we got there for yourself. Start from the beginning to be introduced to the concept, read about the teams and how the games play out.

Introduction to the Ultimate Nationals Simulation. light. Related Story

Finals MVP

First up is the Finals MVP, which goes to the longest tenured National in history, Ryan Zimmerman. Zimmerman recorded a hit in each game in the series and walked more times than he struck out.

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In game three, Zimmerman (’17) clubbed two home runs off of Max Scherzer (’16) which turned the tide of the series. In total, Zimmerman drove in five runs.

Best Single Game Hitting Performance

This award goes to a player we have yet to highlight: Howie Kendrick of the 2017 Nationals.

In game five of the semi-finals against the 2011 Nationals, Kendrick went 5-5 with 3 runs batted in and three runs scored. His five hits are the most of any player in a single game during this tournament.

His bases-clearing double in the third inning off of Tom Gorzelanny capped off a five-run third for the 2017 Nats in their 16-6 rout.

Best Single Game Pitching Performance

On the flip side, we’ve already rewarded Edwin Jackson for his performance with a quarter-finals MVP award. Jackson pitched a complete game shutout for the 2012 Nats in the quarter-finals, sweeping the 2006 squad into oblivion.

With three hits allowed, 11 punch-outs and only 109 pitches thrown, this is easily the best outing from the mound in our simulation. A few players had more than 11 strikeouts, a few allowed two or fewer hits, but none could put it all together for nine innings.

Simulation MVP

Last, but certainly not least, is the most important award of them all. Some runners-up for Simulation MVP include Trea Turner (’17), Michael Morse (’12), Scherzer (’16), and Stephen Strasburg (’17).

From the champion 2017 team, the Washington Nationals Ultimate Simulation MVP is Daniel Murphy.

In the simulation, Murphy went 27-64 (.421 BA) with a .703 slugging percentage. What makes Murphy stand out from the other competitors is his consistency and clutch ability.

In no series did Murphy have a slugging percentage under .500 or fail to have multiple multi-hit games.

In the four elimination opportunities for Murphy’s team throughout the tournament, he chipped in with seven hits in 13 at-bats, adding a solo home run, four walks, and only one strikeout.

Next. Ranking the Nationals' remaining needs. dark

We have finally reached the end of the Ultimate Nationals Simulation. If you read all the way through, thank you! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it.

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