On Tuesday, January 21, the new MLB Hall of Fame class was announced. New inductees include outfielder Ichiro Suzuki, starting pitcher CC Sabathia and relief pitcher Billy Wagner.
The Washington Nationals aren't represented in the Hall yet. However, there are a handful of current players who spent time in Washington who could find their way to Cooperstown once their careers are over.
Just a Bit Outside
Let's address the elephant in the room (or in this case, two elephants) first. Third/first baseman Ryan Zimmerman was the original face of the franchise, and will surely be showered with accolades by the organization in the coming years. The next chapter for the Nationals began when they drafted starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg first overall in 2009. If injuries hadn't derailed his career, he may have found himself up for consideration for the Hall of Fame after his retirement.
Despite how much both of these players have meant to this franchise, they will forever be remembered by the hall of very good. Zimmerman didn't have enough elite seasons, Strasburg's career was a bit too short, and both of them had to stop and start many times due to injuries, which also damage their cases.
Although less symbolic within the franchise, Anthony Rendon has a similar resume. He was arguably the best third baseman in the league from 2017-19, but he's been a far cry from that version of himself since leaving Washington the following offseason.
In Need of a Rally
Two players likely fit here for two different reasons. Shortstop Trea Turner (a National from 2015-21) has had a great career thus far, but doesn't seem to quite meet the threshold without a few more exceptional seasons. Turner will be 32 years old in June and has gotten to the All-Star Game and finished in the top 11 of MVP voting (but never better than fifth place) three times each.
On the surface, this seems a bit light by Hall of Fame standards, but his overall production paints a different picture. He has a career batting average of .296 and OPS+ of 121. Perhaps more importantly, he already has 279 stolen bases, which ranks in the top 200 all-time and third among active players behind Starling Marte (354) and Jose Altuve (315), both of whom have played at least three more seasons than Turner. if he can have three or four more All-Star caliber seasons, although shortstop is a competitive position, Turner may have a very compelling case.
The other player I have in this category is outfielder Juan Soto. It's not because he isn't on track to get to the Hall of Fame. Rather, he simply needs to keep up what he's doing for a while longer.
Soto's resume through seven seasons is immaculate. He finished second in Rookie of the Year voting in 2018, has been an All-Star four times and has won five Silver Slugger awards. He has MVP finishes of second, third, fifth, sixth, and ninth on his ledger through seven seasons. Collectively, he's accrued 36.4 wins above replacement (WAR) according to Baseball Reference, even in spite of playing only 47 games in 2020.
Much like Turner, Soto (and the next guy to be discussed) will be playing for a bitter division rival for the forseeable future. Still, he had some great times in Washington that we will never forget, not the least of which is his World Series performance in 2019.
Waiting On Deck
I'll start with Soto's fellow left-handed slugging outfielder: Bryce Harper. Drafted one year after Strasburg, the former teenage phenom hasn't faced nearly as much adversity. Aside from a couple seasons in which he struggled by his standards, Harper's career has played out much like Soto's except six years longer.
Harper has been slightly less consistent than Soto, as he's accrued "only" two top two MVP finishes and four Silver Sluggers in his 13 seasons, to go along with eight All-Star appearances. On the other hand, his highs have been higher, as shown by his individual trophy closet that includes 2012 Rookie of the Year, 2015 and 2021 league MVP, and 2018 Home Run Derby champion.
Harper is currently fifth among active players in OPS (.911), sixth in runs scored (1082), seventh in home runs (336) and ninth in runs batted in (976). He's only 32 years old, so it's conceivable, and perhaps conservative, to think he could have at least five more very good seasons ahead of him. If he finishes his career with near or above 500 home runs, more than 1500 runs and RBIs, and he can get close to 2500 hits (he currently has 1670), he'll likely be inducted with ease. For context, these would be similar statistics and accolades to David Ortiz, who made it on the first ballot (even in spite of steroid allegations).
On the pitching side, Max Scherzer has a similarly obvious case. For him, however, the case is essentially closed. Already 40 years old, Scherzer is a two-time World Series champion (2019 and 2023) and has been one of the best starting pitchers in recent memory. Over the course of 17 seasons and 2878 innings, he has an ERA of 3.18 with 3418 strikeouts and a WAR of 74.5.
Scherzer had an other-worldly stretch from 2013-2021, which firmly cements him as a Hall of Famer on its own. During this nine-year period, he finished in the top five in Cy Young award voting eight times, and took home the hardware thrice (2013, 2016 and 2017). He also finished within the top 15 in league MVP voting five times during this period.
Now that the book is more or less closed on Scherzer's career, we can look back and acknowledge him as a Mount Rushmore starting pitcher of his era, alongside Justin Verlander, Clayton Kershaw, and at various points Chris Sale and Jacob deGrom. Scherzer currently ranks 11th all-time in strikeouts, with fifth place (3701 by Bert Blyleven) very much in play if he can put together two more semi-healthy seasons. And perhaps best of all, Scherzer's best time came in Washington, so it's fair to expect him to be inducted as a National.
Could There be a Player to be Named Later?
As much as I'd like to throw Kyle Schwarber's name into the mix, no other current or former Nationals. It seems that all we can do in this regard is dream about some of the young talent on the roster. Whether it's James Wood, Dylan Crews, or any other potential breakout stars, there's plenty of time for many current players in Washington.
Let me know who you think could find themselves in the Hall of Fame in the short or long-term future by reaching out to me @stephen_newman1 on X.