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Nationals: 7 role players to be thankful for since 2005

By James Simmons

Dmitri Young #21 of the Washington Nationals celebrates a double during their MLB game against the Houston Astros on July 17, 2007 at RFK Stadium in Washington D.C. The Astros won 4-2. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
Dmitri Young #21 of the Washington Nationals celebrates a double during their MLB game against the Houston Astros on July 17, 2007 at RFK Stadium in Washington D.C. The Astros won 4-2. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /
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Asdrubal Cabrera played a key role in the Washington Nationals run to the World Series in 2019.
Asdrubal Cabrera #13 of the Washington Nationals prepares for a pitch during a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves at Nationals Park on September 12, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

Asdrubal Cabrera

I would be remiss if I did not include someone from the 2019 World Series team. I have always been a closet Asdrubal Cabrera fan and was happy to see him return for a second tour of duty last year.

Cabrera hit from the moment he joined the Nationals after the Texas Rangers dumped him in early August. In 38 games after being acquired, Cabrera hit .323 and drove in 40 runs. His OPS was nearly .200 points higher than Brian Dozier, the guy he ended of taking the job from at second base.

The postseason numbers for Cabrera were not stellar, though he made an appearance in all seven World Series games. The two he did not start at second base, he was so trusted as a pinch hitter, he made late inning cameos.

Brought back the following year to be a reserve infielder, Cabrera ended up being the starting first baseman most of the year and filling in at third base while Carter Kieboom worked out his struggles. On the defensive side, Cabrera only committed one error going back and forth between the two corner positions.

On the offensive side he finished second on the team in hits, runs, home runs, and runs batted in. Asdrubal Cabrera isn’t flashy and not a big name, though he contributed as if he was.

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Odds are he won’t be back to the Nationals again, as the team strives to get younger on the infield, though if they were to bring him back in a reserve role, I wouldn’t be upset.

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