Washington Nationals

Washington Nationals
Established 1969
Based in Washington since 2005
Washington Nationals.svg
Team logo		 Washington Nationals Insignia.svg
Cap Insignia
Major league affiliations
Current uniform
NLE-Uniform-WAS.PNG
Retired numbers 42
Colors
  • Red, Navy, White

                   
Name
  • Washington Nationals (2005–present)
Other nicknames
  • The Nats
Ballpark

[2] - The Expos played twenty-two home games in San Juan during the 2003 and 2004 seasons, and the remainder in Montreal.
Major league titles
World Series titles (0) None
NL Pennants (0) None
East Division titles (1) 1981
[3][4]
Wild card berths (0) None

[3] - In 1981, a players' strike in the middle of the season forced the season to be split into two halves. Montreal won the division in the second half, despite having the second best record in the division when considering the entire season, two games behind St. Louis.
[4] - In 1994, a players' strike wiped out the last eight weeks of the season and all post-season. Montreal was in first place in the East Division by six games when play was stopped. No official titles were awarded in 1994.
Owner(s): Ted Lerner
Manager: Jim Riggleman
General Manager: Mike Rizzo

The Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals are a member of the Eastern Division of the National League of Major League Baseball (MLB). The team moved into the newly-built Nationals Park in 2008, after playing their first three seasons in RFK Stadium. The new park is located in Southeast D.C. near the Anacostia River and with views of the Capitol.[1]

The Nationals name derives from the two former Washington baseball teams which had the same name (used interchangeably with Senators). Their nickname is "the Nats" — a shortened version that was also used by the old D.C. teams.

An expansion franchise, the club was founded in Montreal, Quebec in 1969. As the Montreal Expos, they were the first major league team in Canada. They played their home games at Jarry Park Stadium and later in the Olympic Stadium. The Expos had its highest winning percentage in the strike-shortened season of 1994, when it had the best record in baseball. The team's subsequent shedding of players caused fan interest to drop off. After the 2001 season, MLB considered revoking the team's franchise, along with either the Minnesota Twins or the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.[2][3] After being purchased by MLB in 2002, the team was moved before the 2005 season to Washington and renamed the Nationals. This was the first complete name change for a relocating team in MLB since 1972, when the Washington Senators left D.C. to become the Texas Rangers.

The franchise is one of three teams (along with the Rangers and Seattle Mariners) never to have played in a World Series. As the Montreal Expos, the team won a division championship, and advanced to the National League Championship Series in their only playoff appearance during the strike-shortened 1981 season.

Contents

Montreal Expos (1969–2004)

Main article: Montreal Expos

Bronfman era (1969–1990)

The Montreal Expos joined the National League in 1969, along with the San Diego Padres, with a majority share held by Charles Bronfman, a major shareholder in Seagram. Named after the Expo 67 World's Fair, the Expos' initial home was Jarry Park. Managed by Gene Mauch, the team lost 110 games in their first season, coincidentally matching the Padres inaugural win-loss record, and continued to struggle during their first decade with sub-.500 seasons. By 1976, they were back in last place, losing 107 games.

Starting in 1977, the team's home venue was Montreal's Olympic Stadium, built for the 1976 Summer Olympics. Two years later, the team won a franchise-high 95 games, finishing second in the National League East. The Expos began the 1980s with a core group of young players, including catcher Gary Carter, outfielders Tim Raines and Andre Dawson, third baseman Tim Wallach, and pitchers Steve Rogers and Bill Gullickson. The team won its only division championship in the strike-shortened split season of 1981, ending its season with a 3 games to 2 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series.

The team spent most of the 1980s in the middle of the NL East pack, finishing in third or fourth place in eight out of nine seasons from 1982–1990. Buck Rodgers was hired as manager before the 1985 season and guided the Expos to a .500 or better record five times in six years, with the highlight coming in 1987, when they won 91 games. They finished third, but were just 4 games behind the division-winning Cardinals.

Brochu era (1991–1999)

Bronfman sold the team to a consortium of owners in 1991, with Claude Brochu as the managing general partner.[4][5] Rodgers, at that time second only to Gene Mauch in number of Expos games managed, was replaced partway through the 1991 season. In May 1992, Felipe Alou, a member of the Expos organization since 1976, was promoted to field manager, becoming the first Dominican-born manager in MLB history.[4] Alou would become the leader in Expos games managed, while guiding the team to winning records, including 1994, when the Expos, led by a talented group of players including Larry Walker, Moisés Alou, Marquis Grissom and Pedro Martínez, had the best record in the major leagues until the 1994–95 Major League Baseball strike forced the cancellation of the remainder of the season. After the disappointment of 1994, Expos management began shedding its key players, and the team's fan support dwindled.

Loria/MLB era (1999–2004)

Brochu sold control of the team to Jeffrey Loria in 1999,[6][7] but Loria failed to close on a plan to build a new downtown ballpark, and did not reach an agreement on television and English radio broadcast contracts for the 2000 season, reducing the team's media coverage.

Contraction

In November 2001, MLB's owners voted 28–2 to contract MLB by two teams — according to various sources, the Expos and the Minnesota Twins, both of which reportedly voted against contraction.[8] Subsequently, the Boston Red Sox were sold to a partnership led by John W. Henry, owner of the Florida Marlins.[8][9] In order to clear the way for Henry's group to assume ownership of the Red Sox, Henry sold the Marlins to Loria, and MLB purchased the Expos from Loria.[8] However, as the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission, operator of the Metrodome, won an injunction requiring the Twins to play there in 2002,[8] MLB was unable to revoke the Twins franchise, and so had to keep the Twins and Expos as part of the MLB schedule. In the collective bargaining agreement signed with the players association in August 2002, contraction was prohibited through to the end of the contract in 2006.[10]

Relocation to Washington

With contraction no longer an option for the immediate term, MLB began looking for a relocation site for the Expos. Some of the choices included Oklahoma City; Washington, D.C.; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Monterrey, Mexico; Portland, Oregon; Northern Virginia; Norfolk, Virginia; New Jersey; and Charlotte, North Carolina. In the decision-making process, Commissioner Bud Selig added Las Vegas, Nevada to the list of potential Expos homes. Local groups sprung up in cities under consideration advocating bringing the team to their respective area; one such group, Virginians for Baseball, was quite active, organizing protests and attending county board meetings in large numbers.[11] Washington, D.C. and Virginia emerged as the front-runners.

On September 29, 2004, MLB officially announced that the Expos would move to Washington, D.C. in 2005.[12] The Expos played their final game on October 3, 2004 at Shea Stadium, losing by a score of 8–1 against the New York Mets, the same opponent that the Expos first faced at its start, 35 years earlier. The move was approved by the owners of the other teams in a 28–1 vote on December 3 (Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos cast the sole dissenting vote). In addition, on November 15, 2004, a lawsuit by the former team owners against MLB and former majority owner Jeffrey Loria was struck down by arbitrators, ending legal moves to keep the Expos in Montreal.

Washington Nationals (2005–present)

Washington baseball history revived

Numerous professional baseball teams have called Washington D.C. home. The Washington Senators, a founding member of the American League, played in the nation's capital from 1901 to 1960. These Senators were founded and owned by Clark Griffith and played in Griffith Stadium. With notable stars including Walter Johnson and Joe Cronin, the Senators won the 1924 World Series and pennants in 1925 and 1933, but were more often unsuccessful and moved to Minnesota for the 1961 season where the team was renamed the Minnesota Twins. A second Washington Senators (1961–1971) had a winning record only once in their 11 years, though bright spots, such as slugger Frank Howard, earned the love of fans. The second Senators moved to Arlington, Texas for the 1972 season and changed their name to the Texas Rangers, and Washington spent the next 33 years without a baseball team.

Although there was some sentiment to revive the name Senators, political considerations factored into the choice of Nationals, a revival of the first American League franchise's "official" nickname used from 1905 to 1956.[13] Politicians in the District of Columbia objected to the name Senators because the District of Columbia does not have voting representation in Congress. In addition, the Rangers still owned the rights to the Senators name and MLB was unable to acquire those rights from the team.

Fallout from the relocation

Opposition from the Orioles

The move was announced despite opposition from Peter Angelos, owner of the nearby Baltimore Orioles. Since 1972, the Orioles had been the only MLB franchise in the Baltimore–Washington Metropolitan Area, which he considered a single market. Angelos contended that the Orioles would suffer financially if another team were allowed to enter the market, although the Orioles and the Washington Senators had shared the market successfully from 1954 through 1971. This reasoning disturbed many in Washington who recalled that it was the Griffith family, owners of the Washington Senators, who allowed the St. Louis Browns to move to Baltimore in 1954 in the first place.

On March 31, 2005, Angelos and Major League Baseball struck a deal to protect the Orioles against any financial harm the Nationals might present.

Under the terms of the deal, television and radio broadcast rights to Nationals games are handled by the Orioles franchise, who formed a new network (the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network) to produce and distribute the games for both franchises on both local affiliates and cable/satellite systems. MASN was not, however, immediately available on all cable providers, adding to the frustration of Nationals fans. In fact, most in the DC area missed almost the entirety of the Nationals first two seasons. The deal with Angelos makes the Nationals the only major league baseball team which does not own their own broadcast rights.

The ballpark controversy

Nationals at bat against the San Diego Padres in RFK Stadium.

The team's relocation to Washington was contingent on a financing plan for the Nationals' new stadium—this plan quickly became the subject of much debate on the D.C. Council.

Three Council members who supported Mayor Anthony Williams's plan were ousted in September 2004's Democratic party primary. In addition, an opinion poll conducted by The Washington Post during the peak of the controversy found that approximately two-thirds of District residents opposed the mayor's stadium plan.

Much of the controversy centered on the fact that the city would be helping finance a $581 million stadium without state or county support, despite the fact that a large portion of the team's fan base would be drawn from the surrounding Maryland and Virginia suburbs.[14] (The District of Columbia is not part of any state or county; the city is administered as a district directly by the United States Congress, with the city council serving as Congress' proxy).

During December 2004, the move to Washington itself was called into doubt when the D.C. Council sought to change details of the stadium's financing. When the Council voted on December 14 to require 50 percent private financing for any new stadium, MLB ceased promotional activities for the Nationals and announced that they would consider looking for a new market.

Eventually, the council passed an amended plan on December 21, 2004 that proved slightly more financially favorable to the city, while remaining acceptable to MLB. Mayor Williams signed the stadium financing package on December 30.

During the 2005 season, a private financing plan for construction of the stadium was negotiated between the city and a syndicate of bankers led by Deutsche Bank. The negotiations of the details ran into another problem in November 2005. The bankers requested a letter of credit or other financial guarantee of $24 million US, $6 million for each of four years, ensuring payment of lease revenues against various risks including poor attendance and terrorism. The city requested that Major League Baseball provide this guarantee, which they were unwilling to do.

On December 22, 2005, the "Post" reported that Major League Baseball had specifically instructed prospective owners not to offer to pay cost overruns on the stadium if they were selected as the owners. Bidders were also told not to communicate with the press about these issues.

In February 2006, the DC City Council imposed a $611 million cap on the stadium.

Finally, on March 5, Major League Baseball signed a lease for a new ballpark, agreeing to the city's $611 million cap. MLB also agreed to contribute $20 million toward the cost of the stadium, although it did not agree to cover stadium overruns. Further, MLB added the condition that excess ballpark tax revenue earmarked for debt service for the bonds to be available for cost overruns. Two days later, on March 7 the DC City Council, by a vote of 9–4, approved a construction contract for a state-of-the-art stadium with a contemporary glass-and-stone facade, seats for 41,000 fans and a view of the U.S. Capitol, and affirmed its demand that public spending on the project be limited to $611 million. The votes were the final actions needed to satisfy the terms of the deal struck in September 2004, paving the way for the sale of the team.

Major League Baseball had agreed at the time that the franchise was moved to Washington, DC, to sell the team to an owner or ownership syndicate. Several dates for sale of the team were set and missed due to the legal wrangling regarding the building of the stadium. The delay was harshly criticized by city residents and leaders as reported in The Washington Post.

Selecting from a finalized group of three potential ownership syndicates, Major League Baseball announced in July 2006 that it had chosen the Lerner Enterprises group, led by billionaire real-estate developer Theodore N. Lerner. The final sale price of the team was $450 million and the transfer of ownership was completed July 24, 2006. In late September 2006, Comcast finally agreed to broadcast the Nationals games.

Notable firsts from the 2005 season

Then President George W. Bush throws out a ceremonial first pitch in 2005.

Notable moments from the 2006 season

2007 season

After losing four starters (Liván Hernández, Tony Armas, Ramon Ortiz and Pedro Astacio) from the prior year, the Nationals invited an extraordinary 36 pitchers to spring training.[16][17] On Opening Day, the Nationals lost their starting shortstop (Cristian Guzman, hamstring) and center fielder (Nook Logan) for five weeks. At the end of April, one of their starters, Jerome Williams hurt his ankle while batting and was placed on the 15-day disabled list. Then, in the space of just 10 days in May, Shawn Hill, John Patterson, and Jason Bergmann went on the disabled list. Jerome Williams returned, pitched one game, and went back on the DL with a shoulder injury. The Washington Post's wrote: "Almost everything that could sink a team's attitude has befallen the Nationals. They started the year 1–8, then they lost eight in a row to drop to 9-25."[18]

They pressed journeymen Mike Bacsik, Micah Bowie (a relief pitcher), Tim Redding, and Jason Simontacchi, along with rookie reliever Levale Speigner into the starting rotation, amidst predictions that the 2007 Nationals might equal the 1962 Mets' record of futility of 120 losses in one season.[19]. The Nationals were also able to top the worst record in the American League set by the 2003 Detroit Tigers of 43 wins and 119 losses during the same predictions on the season. But the Nationals bounced back, going 24–18 in their next 42 games through June 25. But on that day, a day in which Bergman made his first start off the DL, the Nationals received the news that shortstop Cristian Guzman, their leadoff hitter (and second on the team with a .329 batting average) was lost for the rest of the season due to a thumb injury he received the day before tagging out a runner.

The Nationals finished the 2007 season 73–89, improving their record by two more wins than in 2006. In September, the Nationals won five out of six games with the New York Mets, contributing to the Mets' collapse out of first place.

New ownership and "The Plan"

When Ted Lerner took over the club in mid-2006, he hired Stan Kasten as team president. Kasten was widely known as the architect of the Atlanta Braves before and during their run of 14 division titles. Kasten was also the general manager or president of many other Atlanta-area sports teams, such as the Atlanta Thrashers. "The Plan," as it became known, was a long-range rebuilding and restructuring of the team from the ground up. This plan included investing in the farm system and draft picks, and having a suitable team to go along with their new stadium.

At the end of the 2006 season, the Nationals did not re-sign free agent and star OF Alfonso Soriano. Soriano signed a $136 million contract with the Cubs, and Washington received two draft picks in return. OF Jose Guillen was also allowed to depart via free agency, and another high draft pick was obtained. Another high priced player, 2B/DH Jose Vidro, was traded to the Seattle Mariners for prospects OF Chris Snelling and RHP Emiliano Fruto. In mid-2006, the Nationals received OF Austin Kearns, 2B/SS Felipe López, and RHP Ryan Wagner from the Reds, giving up LHP Gary Majewski, LHP Bill Bray, SS Royce Clayton, 2B Brendan Harris and RHP Daryl Thompson. In August they traded RHP Liván Hernández to the Arizona Diamondbacks for prospects LHP Matt Chico and RHP Garrett Mock. Other players traded or let go from the 2005 season were OF Preston Wilson, RHP Hector Carrasco, IF Jamey Carroll, and OF Terrmel Sledge. The team also acquired pitching prospects Luis Atilano from Atlanta, Shairon Martis from San Francisco and Jhonny Nunez from the Dodgers. In 2006, they had two first-round draft picks, OF Chris Marrero, and RHP Colten Williams, and signed them both to developmental contracts. The Nationals also signed a 16-year-old Dominican shortstop, Esmailyn Gonzalez, for $1.4 million.[20] Gonzalez was later revealed to be 20 years old at the time of his signing.[21]

In the front office, the Nationals hired the well-respected former Arizona scouting director Mike Rizzo to be the vice president of baseball operations, second in charge under then-general manager Jim Bowden.[22]

As for their farm system, the Nationals had a lot of work to do. By the spring of 2007, Baseball America had ranked the Nationals organization as dead last twice in four years in terms of minor league talent.[23]

The Nationals had five of the first seventy picks in the 2007 first-year player draft: their own two, and three compensation picks (two from losing Soriano, and one for Guillen). The team selected players that many considered to be four of the top 30 players available.[23] Overall, the Nationals signed all of their top twenty draft picks.[24] One of them, a first-round supplemental pick, Michael Burgess, was, by the end of the year, picked by Baseball America as the top prospect for the entire Gulf Coast League.[25] Their rookie team, Vermont, sent three starting pitchers Colton Willems, Glenn Gibson, and Adrian Alaniz, and two position players, first baseman Bill Rhinehart, and outfielder Aaron Seuss to the New York-Penn League All-Star Game.[26] By the end of the season, three Vermont pitchers landed in the Top 20 prospects for the New York-Penn League:

In the low-A South Atlantic League Top 20, two players made the list:

In addition, after having no teams in the Dominican Summer League, the Nationals fielded two clubs in 2007, one of which won the DSL Championships.[29]

Notable moments from the 2007 season

Notable moments from the 2008 season

Nationals 2008 team during warm up

"The Plan" reloaded

In March 2009, just prior to Spring Training, members of the Nationals' front office were implicated in a skimming scandal. Jose Rijo, a key adviser to Jim Bowden, was thought to be at the heart of this. As a result of this scandal, and also due to the Nationals' disappointing season in 2008, General Manager Jim Bowden was fired in Spring Training of 2009.

Mike Rizzo, the man serving as assistant G.M. for the previous two seasons, became the de facto G.M., and officially claimed the title on an interim basis weeks later. Rizzo began to shape the team in a way that was contrary to Bowden's previous methods. While Bowden was known for "dumpster-diving," that is attempting to find serviceable players among the less-than-desired, Mike Rizzo sought players who achieved results. Bowden took risks on players with poor reputations (such as outfielders Elijah Dukes and Lastings Milledge), while Rizzo made a point out of making certain his players possessed "character" and would contribute to a cohesive clubhouse.

Despite the failures of Bowden's tenure, his last trade appeared to have been extremely beneficial to the Nationals, as he traded infielder Emilio Bonifacio and two minor-leaguers to the Marlins for starting pitcher Scott Olsen and outfielder Josh Willingham.

Rizzo's first major trade during the 2009 season as General Manager of the Nationals was to trade Lastings Milledge along with control-challenged reliever Joel Hanrahan to the Pirates in exchange for speedy outfielder Nyjer Morgan and left-handed relief pitcher Sean Burnett. Morgan was thought to be a great clubhouse presence as well as a slick fielder on the outfield grass.

Mike Rizzo's new philosophy continued to show in the 2009-2010 offseason. He was able to acquire second baseman Adam Kennedy, starting pitcher Jason Marquis (who is doing very poorly in the 2010 season, with an ERA of over 13), and future Hall of Fame member and catcher Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez. All three men had reputations as being great teammates. Collectively, they had extensive experience playing for successful teams. This was a contrast to the Nationals' roster at the time, which had some talented players who lacked experience playing for winning teams.

Notable moments from the 2009 season

Notable moments from the 2010 season

People of note

Baseball Hall of Famers

Washington Nationals Hall of Famers
Affiliation according to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
Montreal Expos

Gary Carter
Andre Dawson

Tony Perez
Frank Robinson

Dick Williams
Names in bold inducted as Nationals or Expos

Broadcasters

Current roster

40-man roster Spring Training
non-roster invitees		 Coaches/Other

Pitchers

  • 56 Luis Atilano
  • 99 Collin Balester
  • 17 Sean Burnett
  • -- Adam Carr
  • 47 Matt Chico
  • 36 Tyler Clippard
  • 48 Ross Detwiler
  • 61 Liván Hernández
  • 63 Cole Kimball
  • 31 John Lannan
  • 21 Jason Marquis
  • 51 J. D. Martin
  • 39 Shairon Martis
  • 29 Yunesky Maya
  • 49 Garrett Mock
  • 66 Atahualpa Severino
  • 45 Doug Slaten
  • 35 Craig Stammen
  • 25 Drew Storen
  • 37 Stephen Strasburg
  • 65 Aaron Thompson
  • 27 Jordan Zimmermann

Catchers

Infielders

  •  6 Ian Desmond
  • 18 Danny Espinosa
  • 12 Alberto González
  • -- Chris Marrero
  • 11 Ryan Zimmerman

Outfielders

  •  2 Roger Bernadina
  • -- Bryce Harper
  • 30 Justin Maxwell
  •  1 Nyjer Morgan
  • 38 Michael Morse
  • -- Jayson Werth
  • 16 Josh Willingham

Pitchers

  • -- Tim Wood

Manager

  •  5 Jim Riggleman

Coaches

  • 14 Rick Eckstein (hitting)
  •  9 Jim Lett (bullpen)
  • 54 Steve McCatty (pitching)
  •  8 John McLaren (bench)
  • -- Bo Porter (third base)
  • 53 Dan Radison (first base)

60-day disabled list

  • None

* Not on active roster
† 15-day disabled list
Roster updated December 14, 2010
Transactions • Depth Chart
→ More rosters

Retired numbers

NatsRetired42.png
Jackie
Robinson
-
Retired 1997

With the exception of 42, retired for all MLB teams to honor Jackie Robinson, the Nationals have no retired numbers. The Montreal Expos retired the number 8 for Gary Carter, the number 10 for both Rusty Staub and Andre Dawson, and the number 30 for Tim Raines. The Nationals returned these numbers to circulation: In the 2006 season, number 8 was worn by second baseman Marlon Anderson and was worn by Aaron Boone, number 10 was formerly worn by shortstop Royce Clayton, catcher Brandon Harper, and infielder Ronnie Belliard, and number 30 was worn by reliever Mike Stanton and pitcher Chris Booker. The retired numbers for the Expos are now displayed at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, home of the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League.

Washington Hall of Stars

RFK Stadium has a series of banners displaying a Washington Hall of Stars above its right-field fence. A newer version hangs on the facing of one of the parking garages near the center-field entrance to Nationals Park.

Figures from all of sport, including sportswriters, are eligible, but, as yet, no Nationals figures have been honored. The following Washington Senators are so honored:

Sievers (the second time around), Hinton and Howard played for the "New Senators" who became the Rangers; Vernon, Yost and Hodges managed the new Senators and Selkirk was an executive for the second franchise. All others either played for or managed the "Old Senators" who became the Twins. Neither the Twins nor the Rangers ever retired any numbers while they were the Washington Senators, nor have they so honored any former Senators since their moves, with the exception of Harmon Killebrew, whose number 3 was retired by the Twins on his election to the Hall of Fame.

Josh Gibson and Buck Leonard are also listed on the Hall of Stars banner, honoring their contributions playing for the Homestead Grays of the Negro Leagues. Both are in the Baseball Hall of Fame, as are Johnson, Griffith, Goslin, Cronin, Harris, Rice, Wynn and Killebrew.

Season standings

The following is the previous five seasons of the franchise:

MLB
season		 Team
season		 League[36] Division[36] Regular season Post-season Awards
Finish Wins Losses Win% GB
2005 2005 NL East 5th 81 81 .500 9
2006 2006 NL East 5th 71 91 .438 26
2007 2007 NL East 4th 73 89 .451 16 Dmitri Young (CPOY)[37]
2008 2008 NL East 5th 59 102 .366 32½
2009 2009 NL East 5th 59 103 .364 34 Ryan Zimmerman (Gold Glove and Silver Slugger)
2010 2010 NL East 5th 42 55 .433 14.5

Bold denotes a playoff season, pennant or championship; italics denote an active season.

Franchise records

What follows are the Washington Nationals/Montreal Expos team records.

Single season records

Batting

(records all by Montreal Expos except for Alfonso Soriano in 2006 as a member of the Washington Nationals)

Pitching

Career records

record All-time Active Currently with team
Batting (as of December 22, 2009)
Games played Tim Wallach 1767 José Vidro 1186 Ryan Zimmerman 602
batting average† Vladimir Guerrero .323 Vladimir Guerrero .323 Ryan Zimmerman .284
on-base percentage† Rusty Staub .402 Vladimir Guerrero .390 Ryan Zimmerman .347
slugging percentage† Vladimir Guerrero .588 Vladimir Guerrero .588 Ryan Zimmerman .478
OPS† Vladimir Guerrero .978 Vladimir Guerrero .978 Ryan Zimmerman .825
At bats Tim Wallach 6529 José Vidro 4257 Ryan Zimmerman 2363
Runs Tim Raines 947 Vladimir Guerrero 641 Ryan Zimmerman 350
Hits Tim Wallach 1694 José Vidro 1280 Ryan Zimmerman 672
Total bases Tim Wallach 2728 Vladimir Guerrero 2211 Ryan Zimmerman 1130
Doubles Tim Wallach 360 José Vidro 304 Ryan Zimmerman 161
Triples Tim Raines 82 Vladimir Guerrero 34 Cristian Guzmán 24
Home runs Vladimir Guerrero 234 Vladimir Guerrero 234 Ryan Zimmerman 102
RBI Tim Wallach 905 Vladimir Guerrero 702 Ryan Zimmerman 364
Walks Tim Raines 793 José Vidro 397 Ryan Zimmerman 228
Stolen bases Tim Raines 635 Vladimir Guerrero 123 Nyjer Morgan 24
Sacrifice flies Andre Dawson 71 José Vidro 34 Ryan Zimmerman 23
Sacrifice bunts Steve Rogers 101 Javier Vázquez 65 Cristian Guzmán 15
Hit by pitches Ron Hunt 114 Vladimir Guerrero 50 Willie Harris
Josh Willingham		 12
Intentional walks Vladimir Guerrero 130 Vladimir Guerrero 130 Ryan Zimmerman 20
Plate appearances Tim Wallach 7174 José Vidro 4753 Ryan Zimmerman 2626
Extra base hits Tim Wallach 595 Vladimir Guerrero 494 Ryan Zimmerman 264
Pitches seen Brad Wilkerson 11562 Brad Wilkerson 11562 Ryan Zimmerman 10350
Pitching (as of December 22, 2009)
Wins Steve Rogers 158 Javier Vázquez 64 John Lannan 20
Saves Jeff Reardon 152 Chad Cordero 128 N/A N/A
Innings pitched Steve Rogers 2837.2 Javier Vázquez 1229.1 John Lannan 423
Strikeouts Steve Rogers 1621 Javier Vázquez 1076 Jason Bergmann 297
Earned Run Average ‡ Tim Burke 2.61 Pedro Martínez 3.06 N/A N/A
Games pitched Tim Burke 425 Luis Ayala 320 Jason Bergmann 151
Games started Steve Rogers 393 Javier Vázquez 191 John Lannan 70
Complete games Steve Rogers 129 Liván Hernández
Pedro Martínez		 20 John Lannan 2
Shutouts Steve Rogers 37 Pedro Martínez 8 John Lannan 1
Save opportunities Chad Cordero 152 Chad Cordero 152 Garrett Mock 2
Caught stealing Liván Hernández 26 Liván Hernández 26 John Lannan 16
Pickoffs John Lannan 9 John Lannan 9 John Lannan 9
Games finished Jeff Reardon 281 Chad Cordero 226 Jason Bergmann 18
Batters faced by pitcher Steve Rogers 11702 Javier Vázquez 5183 John Lannan 1807
Pitch count Liván Hernández 14155 Liván Hernández 14155 John Lannan 6626
Holds Luis Ayala 87 Luis Ayala 87 Jason Bergmann 12
Fielding (as of December 22, 2009)
Games played (defensive) Tim Wallach 1757 José Vidro 1105 Ryan Zimmerman 591
Games started (position player) José Vidro 980 José Vidro 980 Ryan Zimmerman 587
Innings (position player) José Vidro 8354.2 José Vidro 8354.2 Ryan Zimmerman 5168.1
Total chances Gary Carter 8759 José Vidro 4815 Cristian Guzmán 1868
Putouts Andrés Galarraga 7893 Brian Schneider 4187 Jesús Flores 875
Assists Tim Wallach 3354 José Vidro 2795 Cristian Guzmán 1179
Double plays Andrés Galarraga
José Vidro		 606 José Vidro 606 Cristian Guzmán 267
Caught stealing (catcher) Brian Schneider 178 Brian Schneider 178 Jesús Flores 38

† minimum of 2000 plate appearances ‡ minimum of 500 innings pitched

[38]

Minor league affiliations

Level Team League Location
AAA Syracuse Chiefs International League Syracuse, NY
AA Harrisburg Senators Eastern League Harrisburg, PA
Advanced A Potomac Nationals Carolina League Woodbridge, VA
A Hagerstown Suns South Atlantic League Hagerstown, MD
Short Season A Vermont Lake Monsters New York-Penn League Burlington, VT
Rookie GCL Nationals Gulf Coast League Viera, FL
DSL Nationals 1 Dominican Summer League Dominican Republic
DSL Nationals 2 Dominican Summer League Dominican Republic

Radio and television

Mascots dressed as George Washington and Abraham Lincoln in the stands during a 2010 game against the Baltimore Orioles.

The Nationals' flagship radio station is WFED, "Federal News Radio" at 1500 & 820 AM, which is owned by Bonneville International. Charlie Slowes and Dave Jageler are the play-by-play announcers.

Nationals' telecasts are predominantly on Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN), with a handful of games simulcast on WDCW, "DC50." Bob Carpenter is the TV play-by-play announcer while Rob Dibble is the color analyst.

The team has struggled to attract fans, with attendance averaging in the middle of the league in the team's second year in Washington. Local TV ratings have declined to the lowest in the league by a significant margin.[39][40]

Quick facts

Team Mottos:
  • "Get Your RED On!"
  • "You Gotta Be Here!" (2007)
  • "You Gotta Be Here 2008!" (2008)
  • "It's Where You Wanna Be!" (Official 2009 Motto)
Official Television Stations: MASN, WDCW (CW 50)
Official Radio Stations: WWWT
Spring Training Facility: Viera, FL
Mascot: Screech (representing an American Bald Eagle)[41]

See also

Footnotes

  1. a RFK Stadium Fast Facts

References

  1. ↑ - Nationals victorious in stadium debut
  2. ↑ "Gwynn lost chance at .400; Expos denied playoff berth". CNN. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/news/2002/08/25/1994_strike_victims_ap/. Retrieved May 27, 2010. 
  3. ↑ Baseball Contraction Primer
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Montreal Expos (1996). Expos Media Guide 1996. 
  5. ↑ Blair, Jeff (1991-06-15). "Brochu group goes to bat for baseball survival here; Expos sale official as Bronfman era ends". Montreal Gazette: pp. C.1. 
  6. ↑ Montreal Expos (2000). Expos Media Guide 2000. 
  7. ↑ Blair, Jeff (1999-12-10). "Expos to field better team, Loria says Ebullient new chairman vows to increase salary limit, build new ballpark for 2002 season". The Globe and Mail (The Globe and Mail): pp. S.1. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Schoenfield, David (2002-02-05). "Still 30 teams: Contraction timeline". ESPN.com. http://assets.espn.go.com/mlb/s/2002/0205/1323230.html. Retrieved 2009-02-19. 
  9. ↑ Mnookin, Seth (2006). Feeding the Monster. How Money, Smarts, and Nerve Took a Team to the Top.. New York, New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-7432-8681-2. 
  10. ↑ MLB.com (2002-08-30). "Deal in place, games go on". Press release. http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/news/mlb_news.jsp?ymd=20020830&content_id=116907&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp. Retrieved 2006-12-28. 
  11. ↑ Archives -- Baseball in Virginia
  12. ↑ Myles, Stephanie (2004-09-30). "31,395 say goodbye". Montreal Gazette: pp. C1. 
  13. ↑ DC Vote - Media Coverage
  14. ↑ Letters | Economist.com
  15. ↑ [1]
  16. ↑ Thomas Boswell (March 7, 2007). "Nats' Starting Pitching Could Be a Real Problem". The Washington Post: p. E03. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/06/AR2007030602143_pf.html. 
  17. ↑ Barry Svrluga (February 26, 2007). "Nats' St. Claire Knows the Task at Hand". Washington Post. p. E01. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/25/AR2007022501373.html. 
  18. ↑ Thomas Boswell (June 4, 2007). "Nationals Are Managing Just Fine With Acta". The Washington Post: p. E01. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/03/AR2007060301428.html. 
  19. ↑ Linton Weeks (May 8, 2007). "Baseball Most Foul: The Nats Reinvent Bad". Washington Post. p. C01. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/07/AR2007050701636.html. 
  20. ↑ Aaron Fitt (January 12, 2007). "Top 10 Prospects: Washington Nationals". http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/features/263086.html. 
  21. ↑ http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ap-nationals-fakeagename&prov=ap&type=lgns
  22. ↑ Barry Svrluga (June 5, 2007). "Nationals Counting on Draft-Day Payoff". Washington Post. p. E01. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/04/AR2007060401755.html. 
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 Mark Zuckerman (September 7, 2007). "From worst to ... not quite first". Washington Times. http://washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070907/SPORTS02/109070105/1005/SPORTS. 
  24. ↑ Bill Ladson (August 16, 2007 title=Nats agree to terms with McGeary: Lefty was club's sixth-round pick of 2007 First-Year Player Draft). MLB.com. http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070816&content_id=2151632&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb. 
  25. ↑ Chris Kline (September 20, 2007). "Gulf Coast League Top 20 Prospects List: Young talent proves tough to gauge". Baseball America. http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/features/264872.html. 
  26. ↑ Ben Badler (August 9, 2007). "Experienced Former College Players Fill NYPL All-Star Rosters". Baseball America. http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/prospects/?p=525. 
  27. ↑ Aaron Fitt (September 26, 2007). "New York-Penn League Top 20 Prospects List". Baseball America. http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/features/264923.html. 
  28. ↑ Bill Ballew (October 1, 2007). "South Atlantic League Top 20 Prospects List". Baseball America. http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/features/264942.html. 
  29. ↑ Bill Ladson (September 7, 2007). "Notes". MLB.com. http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070907&content_id=2194744&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb. 
  30. ↑ Carig, Marc (April 18, 2007). "Nats Show Their Support". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/17/AR2007041702068.html. Retrieved May 27, 2010. 
  31. ↑ SignOnSanDiego.com > Sports - Nationals don Virginia Tech baseball caps during game
  32. ↑ ESPN - Zimmerman's walk-off grand slam ends rain-delayed game - MLB
  33. ↑ Sheinin, Dave (June 9, 2010). "Pitcher Stephen Strasburg makes his major league debut for Washington Nationals". Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/08/AR2010060805223.html?sid=ST2010060900179. 
  34. ↑ "Nationals Draft `Chosen One' Bryce Harper as No. 1 a Year After Strasburg". Bloomberg. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-06-07/nationals-take-chosen-one-bryce-harper-with-top-pick-in-baseball-s-draft.html. 
  35. ↑ "Guzman OKs trade from Nationals to Rangers". Associated Press. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i0r61xAUb0g2rWeiZsPPRmQSwdcgD9H9L59G0. 
  36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 "Washington Nationals History & Encyclopedia". Baseball-Reference. http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/WSN/. Retrieved 2008-11-05. 
  37. ↑ Bill Ladson (2007-10-26). "Young honored by Players Association". MLB.com. http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20071026&content_id=2283333&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb. Retrieved 2008-11-08. 
  38. ↑ Washington Nationals career leaders
  39. ↑ Steinberg, Dan (July 7, 2008). "Nats: Last in the League, Last in TV Ratings". Washington Post. http://blog.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsbog/2008/07/nats_last_in_the_league_last_i.html. 
  40. ↑ OURAND, JOHN (July 7, 2008). "MLB ratings down, but networks look ahead". Street and Smith's Sports Business Journal. http://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=article.preview&articleid=59453. Retrieved 2008-07-10. 
  41. ↑ "Washington Nationals Mascot - SCREECH!". http://washington.nationals.mlb.com. http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/was/community/mascot.jsp. Retrieved 21 November 2009. 

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