5 in 50- The Washington Nationals (and Expos)

Continuing my 5 in 50 series, today’s team is the Washington Nationals. This will be a list of the top 5 greatest players for the Nationals since they began in Washington in 2005. Note I separated the Expos and Nationals players since the team changed cities and the names. I have a separate list for the Expos at the bottom of this post. The criteria are as follows: Player must have been part of team for at least 5 full seasons. Both regular season and post season success will be measured (statistical leaders, awards, et). Players on this list can be from any position. Multiple players at the same position can be included. I’ll list the major accomplishments for each player only for the team they are selected.

Here is my list of the top 5 greatest Nationals players since they began in Washington in 2005.

5.  Anthony Rendon (2013-2019)- Finished in top 10 MVP voting 3 times. Led NL in doubles twice. 2019 World Series Champion.

4.  Ryan Zimmerman (2005-2021)- All time hits leader for Nationals. 2019 World Serie Champion.

3.  Bryce Harper (2012-2018)- 2015 NL MVP

2.  Stephen Strasburg (2010-2021)- Finished twice in top 5 Cy Young voting. 2019 World Series MVP.

1. Max Scherzer (2015-2021)- 2-time Cy Young award winner. Finished in top 5 voting 3 times. 2019 World Series Champion.

Honorable mention to Gio Gonzalez, Ian Desmond, Jordan Zimmerman.

Notes. For a team that has only been in existence for just over 16 years, the list is straight forward. These 5 are the best players since the franchise moved to Washington. Rendon was a key member of the 2019 championship team leading the NL in doubles and RBIs. Ryan Zimmerman has played for Washington every season since they moved in 2005. and leads the Nationals in many batting categories. Harper and Strasburg both came in with extremely high expectations. Each have met them with some degrees of success. Harper winning an MVP in 2015, and Strasburg leading the Nationals to their first championship winning the World Series MVP in 2019. And finally Max Scherzer, who solidified his Hall of Fame career during his 7 years with the Nationals.

For reference, prior to moving to Washington, the Montreal Expos had many fantastic players during their existence. Here is my list of the top 5 Montreal Expos players in their history.

5. Larry Walker

4. Tim Raines

3. Vladimir Guerrero

2. Andre Dawson

1. Gary Carter

Next up is the Chicago Cubs