At the time of writing, the Washington Nationals currently sit 3 games above .500 at 39-36, and are hanging around in the National League Wild Card hunt. While a lot can certainly change and very quickly at that, there is no doubt that the Nationals have given fans more than they could have hoped so far in 2026.
One big reason for that, outside of All-Star hitting candidates like CJ Abrams and James Wood, who is still not getting the voting respect he deserves, has been a combination of a lot of other guys that have stepped up tremendously. Whether it is a guy like Curtis Mead or Keibert Ruiz, the Nationals are getting contributions from a ton of players. However, perhaps nobody has been better outside of Abrams and Wood than one of their main offseason acquisitions.
Foster Griffin deserves to be an All-Star in 2026
If the title didn't give it away, that man would be lefty Foster Griffin, who needs to somehow be in the All-Star Game in 2026. Basically no matter which way you slice it, Griffin has been the consistent steadying presence within the Nationals' rotation, and if the season ended right now, he would probably be the guy the team gives the ball to for Game 1 of a playoff series.
Simply put, the 30-year-old lefty has been fantastic for the Nationals so far in 2026. After signing a 1-year deal that was viewed as an intriguing dart throw, he has provided elite numbers across the board for the team that believed in him as a starting pitcher. Other teams had offered him a chance to be a reliever, but Griffin himself said the Nationals were one of the only ones who thought he could start.
Needless to say, Paul Toboni's belief in the rookie has been rewarded. Griffin has emerged as a legitimate NL Rookie of the Year candidate, and his stats have been great. With a 7-2 record, 3.32 ERA and 1.11 WHIP to go along with an 80:23 K:BB ratio in just 84.0 innings, Griffin has been everything this team needed and then some.
He has been worth almost 2 Wins Above Replacement already as well, and the lefty has been a Quality Start machine for a rotation that has needed him desperately at times. Combine all of that with the fact that the Nationals are overachieving massively, and you end up getting a great story that would be more than a feel-good selection for Griffin.
Simply put, at this point, there is no reason that Griffin, Abrams, and Wood should not all be headed to Philadelphia for the midsummer classic. While fans can't vote on pitchers, hopefully the league will do the right thing and give Griffin a nod he probably never dreamed would be possible while he was overseas the last couple seasons.
Do you think Foster Griffin deserves to be an All-Star representative for the Nationals in 2026? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.
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