Washington Nationals: Top Ten Rookie Seasons in Nationals History
By Tim James
Washington Nationals rookie Victor Robles is lighting up the diamond. How does he stack up against the best rookie seasons in Nats history?
Like his team so far this season, Washington Nationals center fielder Victor Robles has his ups and downs over the first third of the season. Robles has flashed power and speed during his first period of extended playing time in the Majors. However, he has, at times, struggled to make contact, has been tentative in the field and has made a large number of baserunning blunders.
The jury is still out on whether Robles’ first year with the Nats will be a successful one, like many of his predecessors wearing Nationals’ colors had. Today we will look, in descending order, at the top ten rookie seasons in Washington Nationals’ history.
#10- Shawn Hill- 2007
Starting pitching was not a strong suit for the 89 loss 2007 Nationals, but Canadian right-hander Shawn Hill was the exception to that rule. Hill lost a large chunk of the campaign to injuries and made only 16 starts on the year, but he allowed three or fewer earned runs in 14 of those starts and posted a respectable 3.42 ERA.
#9- John Lannan- 2008
Left-hander John Lannan’s performance in his rookie season was a bright spot in a mostly dismal season for the Nationals in 2008. The New York native made 31 starts for the Nats, putting up a 9-15 record with a 3.91 ERA. His best stretch of the season came in its first month when he threw seven innings of shutout ball to lead the Nats to a 6-0 win at Atlanta on April 22nd and followed that up with seven shutout innings at home on April 26th in a 2-0 victory over the Cubs.