Whether they were locked in at the plate or lights out on the mound, the Washington Nationals have had a host of excellent Spring Training showings in franchise history. In recent seasons we have seen guys like James Wood and Robert Hassell III make great first impressions, giving fans a glimpse into the future. It's always a good time to reflect on the past, and here's four that stood out to me:
Ryan Zimmerman, 2006-07
After a 20-game cup of coffee in 2005 with the inaugural Nationals squad after the team made him their first draft pick in franchise history, Zim tore up big league camp in 2006, crushing 7 home runs and getting on base at a .416 clip. That year, he took the reins as the everyday third baseman for the Nats and didn't look back, hitting 20 bombs in the regular season and driving in 110 runs despite a last-place finish for the club.
When the team returned to Viera the following spring, Zimmerman showed he hadn't lost his stride, hitting .414, walking as much as he struck out, and posting a 194 wRC+ for the Spring. Among 270 hitters in Spring games with at least 100 plate appearances from 2006 to 2007, Zim's 1.129 OPS across 168 PA ranks 10th-highest in that span, and his ten home runs places him in a tie for fifth-most. His 29 hits both years are tied with each other for 2nd-most in Spring Training in franchise history.
Michael Morse, 2011
Michael Morse bounced between the majors and minors for several years with both the Mariners and Nationals, but it wasn't until his age-28 campaign in 2010 that he finally saw sustained results to the tune of an .870 OPS in 98 games. Mike entered camp the following spring ready to jockey for a full-time role.
Morse was 2nd across all MLB hitters in 2011 Spring Training with 9 home runs, and posted the highest OPS among any hitter with at least 70 plate appearances at 1.239. To this day, it's still the most home runs and highest OPS in a single spring campaign for any Nationals hitter, with marks that are only even remotely challenged by Bryce Harper in 2013 and 2017.
That didn't quite get him the full-time role he wanted. He'd open the year in a short-side platoon in left field, and by mid-May, was effectively a bench bat. When Adam LaRoche hit the shelf that month, though, Morse took the reins at first base full-time and got the party started. That year, he'd end with over 30 home runs, an OPS north of .900, and received MVP votes for the only time in his career. Sports Illustrated's Joe Lemire named him to the top of the publication's "All-Underrated Team" at season's end.
Michael A. Taylor, 2016
Sometimes, an excellent Spring Training isn't necessarily a sign of things to come, but it's exciting nonetheless. Michael A. Taylor is forever a Nationals favorite, and he hit the cover off the ball in 20 Spring Training games in 2016. Slashing .453/.491/.849 with 5 home runs, Taylor's 1.340 OPS ranked 3rd among 425 qualified hitters, only behind Nolan Arenado of the Rockies and Welington Castillo of the Diamondbacks.
That did not continue into regular season play. Taylor's first half of the season was marked by ineffectiveness at the plate, striking out in over 30% of his plate appearances and reaching base at just a .274 clip. That stretch included what NESN writer Mike Cole called "the worst game in baseball history," when Taylor struck out swinging in all five of his plate appearance and committed a game-losing fielding error in the 9th inning against the Dodgers.
All things considered--Taylor probably got the last laugh. His 2017 campaign with the Nats was the best of his career, and his 1.010 OPS in 23 Postseason plate appearances in 2019 and a diving catch to lock up the NLDS against the Dodgers helped propel the team to their first and only World Series championship in franchise history.
Tyler Clippard, 2013
While it was a precursor to perhaps his weakest full season as a National, Tyler Clippard had a ludicrous stretch of 10 appearances in 2013 Spring Training. Getting three outs all ten times he was out there, Clippard never went an appearance without striking out a batter, and allowed just four men to reach base. His WHIP for that Spring was 0.40, the second-lowest mark in team Spring history (min. 10 IP), and his strikeout rate of 47.1% is by far the highest.
What are your favorite Spring Training performances in Nationals history? Sound off on our social channels: @DistrictOnDeck and @TheOttSpot on Twitter, and reach out on Bluesky as well @theottspot.bsky.social.