Washington Nationals: Players Compared To Anime Characters
Juan Soto: Gon Freecss
Gon Freeces is the main protagonist in the anime Hunter x Hunter. In Hunter x Hunter, people strive to become hunters, a group of elite members who search for people, treasure, or other exotic items. The son of a famous hunter, Gon sets out to become a hunter of his own, with his mindset on passing the Hunters Exam, in order to track down his father. During the Hunter Exam, Gon showcases his immense potential and strength. After many strenuous tests, Gon becomes one of nine to make it to the final round, where he and six others pass.
Despite over 400 people initially starting the exam and only being 12 years old, Gon immediately stood out thanks to his fighting prowess. After passing the exam, Gon heads to Heavens Arena, a fighting tournament, to train. It is at the arena where Gon learns the necessary skills to become a top tier fighter. After six months of training, Gon faces off against one of the main antagonists Hisoka. After a fierce match, Gon lost but, was still able to prove himself on the biggest stage.
Juan Soto made his MLB debut with the Nats at only 19 years old. The rookie went on to take the league by storm, finishing second in NL Rookie of the Year voting. After superstar Bryce Harper left in free agency, all eyes turned to Soto to step up. After a slow start to his sophomore campaign, Soto took his game to the next level. He hit .282, with 34 bombs, 110 RBIs, and an OPS of .949. His stellar play helped his team secure a playoff spot.
Eventually, Soto and the Nats made it to the World Series, where they took on the Houston Astros. On the world’s biggest stage, this is where Soto made a name for himself. In the seven-game series, the 21-year-old hit .333, with three homers, seven RBIs, and an OPS of 1.178. After the World Series, the baseball world knew the youngster was just getting started, similar to the crowd’s reaction to Gon’s showing in Heavens Arena. Soto and Gon are both ahead of the competition, despite their young age. The two of them found a way to exceed expectations in their respective fields.
Max Scherzer: Monkey D. Luffy
Monkey D. Luffy is the main protagonist in the pirate anime One Piece and captain of his crew, the Straw Hats. Along with his crew, he sails the toughest sea, the Grand Line, looking for the greatest treasure– the One Piece. Luffy also strives to become the King of the Pirates, while avoiding the Navy (the World’s military charged with hunting down pirates). Along his travels, Luffy and his friends have batted many powerful adversaries. Luffy will always take on the strongest person amongst the opponent’s group.
A main trademark of Luffy is his insane appetite, usually eating everything in front of him in one sitting. Luffy is headstrong and hates to be sidelined, and will put his body on the line to protect his crew. This has been seen throughout the series whenever he activates his ability, Gear Second. When he activated this ability against Rob Lucci, the later comments that Luffy is slowly reducing his lifespan by his constant use of the move. Despite the immense risk, Luffy will always put his crew above everything else.
Max Scherzer is the ace of the Nationals starting rotation and arguably the best pitcher in the league. Where Luffy will always take on the toughest foe, more than not Scherzer will get the ball with the game on the line.
Back in October, Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post wrote a piece where he interviewed Max Scherzer’s past catchers dating back to his college days. The catchers detailed what it’s like catching the future Hall of Famer. Brad Flander’s caught the 25-year-old back at Missouri in 2005 and went into depth about the pitcher not backing down and his appetite. Dougherty wrote,
“Flanders was a senior when the hard-thrower arrived at Missouri, itching to pitch. One day, the veterans challenged Scherzer to take down three Chipotle burritos in one sitting. “Just because everyone said he couldn’t do it,” Flanders remembered before adding: “And he didn’t skimp on any of the toppings.”
Scherzer isn’t one to shy away from pitching while injured. On June 18, 2019, Scherzer bunted a ball into his face during batting practice, which broke his nose. The next day, Mad Max was on the mound and threw a gem. He threw seven scoreless innings, giving up four hits, walked two, and struck out 10. If this wasn’t enough for you, Scherzer was scheduled to pitch Game Five of the World Series. Instead, his start was scratched due to neck spasms. When he woke up, he couldn’t even move his arm over his head or turn his neck. One cortisone shot later, Scherzer was the teams starting pitcher for the decisive Game Seven. Scherzer gutted out five innings, as he gave up two runs and struck out three. Scherzer wasn’t his usual dominant self, but he was able to contain the Astros enough for his offense to take care of the rest.
Luffy is the captain of the Straw Hats, where Scherzer anchors the team’s pitching staff. Both go above and beyond for their respective organizations and put up explementary performances. The two are towards the top in their respective professions and hate being sidelined.
Stephen Strasburg: Roronoa Zoro
If Max Scherzer is Monkey D. Luffy, then Stephen Strasburg is Roronoa Zoro. Zoro is Luffy’s righthand man and first mate of the Straw Hat pirates. Known for being one of the strongest swordsmen in the anime, Zoro is fully capable of taking on some of the toughest opponents and could lead his own crew, if he wanted. Instead, he teamed up with Luffy because he believed in his ideals. Early on in the anime, Zoro suffered multiple devastating injuries. He was bested in battle by the strongest swordsman Dracule Mihawk and this led to him being unable to help out against the Don Krieg pirates. His initial injury lingered, leading him to struggle against the Arlong Pirates. Eventually, he was able to fully recover and since then, has yet to be beaten.
Similarly, Strasburg is the co-ace of the Nationals rotation and one of the best pitchers in the league. Early on in his career, he suffered multiple injuries; most notably he underwent Tommy John surgery in 2011. From 2015-2018, Strasburg spent a stint on the IL, costing his team in the long run. Finally, in 2019 Strasburg was able to stay fully healthy. In return, he posted the best year of his career, going 18-6, with a 3.32 ERA, and 251 strikeouts. His performance helped lead his team back to the postseason. In the playoffs, Strasburg went 5-0, with a 1.98 ERA, and 47 strikeouts, with his team going on to win the World Series. Strasburg was named World Series MVP. After the season ended, Strasburg was a free agent and had the opportunity to leave to anchor another team’s pitching staff. Instead, he decided to stay in D.C. for the next seven years.
Howie Kendrick: Rock Lee
Rock Lee is a reoccurring character in the anime Naruto which is about Ninjas. Lee is a side character who lives in the Hidden Leaf Village, the same village where the main protagonists reside. Most of the characters in the anime can perform Jutsu, (mainly Genjustsu or Ninjutsu) a mystical art, such as summoning an exact clone of themselves or releasing a fireball. Lee is unable to use Jutsu and has to rely on only martial arts (Taijutsu). Because of this, he is looked down on and made fun of, which in turn fuels him to train more than ever. At the start of the show, Lee is already proficient in hand to hand combat and one of the strongest characters introduced.
During the Chunin Exams (a test to become a certified ninja) Lee squares off against the show’s first antagonist, Gaara. As the battle progresses, Lee showcases his advanced ability, but in the end, is overmatched by Gaara’s strength. Gaara ends the fight by breaking Lee’s arm and leg. When recovering, Lee learns that due to the severity of his injuries, he will never be able to fight again. Devastated, Lee starts to lose his way. Eventually, he learns of a surgery that only has a 50% survival rate, but if successful, would be able to fully heal him. After undergoing the surgery, Lee is fully recovered and shows up again through the course of the anime, partaking in some of the biggest fights, where he usually prevails.
Howie Kendrick has spent 14 years in the big leagues and has emerged as a productive player. However, Kendrick had to work his way up. He didn’t receive much love from colleges and ended up enrolling at St. John’s River Community College, located in Palatka, Florida. During his time there, he was named the Conference Player of the Year. Rock Lee had to work even harder to move up the ninja ranks, due to his inability to use Ninjutsu and Genjitsu. Similarly, Kendrick went under the radar and had to make a name for himself, and both emerged as valuable pieces to their teams.
From 2006-2014, Kendrick played with the Los Angeles Angels, where he made a name of himself for being a consistent hitter. In 2017, Kendrick ended up in the Nation’s capital where he eventually became a significant part of the National’s offense. On May 18, 2018, the veteran ruptured his Achilles, effectively ending his season. In sports, Achilles injuries are one of the hardest to recover from. The player loses some of his athleticism and is never the same. When Kendrick suffered his Achilles injury, he was 34. While it was assumed he would eventually return, expectations were that he would lose a step. Washington missed Kendrick’s presence during the 2018 season. He was a reliable bench bat, who would always come through in a pinch.
When he first came back in 2019, the righty struggled, and in the playoffs was a liability in the field. Kendrick committed three errors, all in the NLDS against the Dodgers. However, despite recovering from injury, he found a way to elevate his offensive abilities. In 334 regular-season at-bats, Kendrick hit .344, with 17 homers, and 62 RBIs. The infielder was named NLCS MVP and hit two of the biggest homers in franchise history. Kendrick and Lee have similar characteristics. While never the star of their respective team or show, they both show up when it matters. After undergoing significant injuries, Lee and Kendrick were able to persevere and were able to continually come through in the clutch