Washington Nationals 2016 Season in Review

In our continuing series of season reviews, we take a closer look at the good and bad of the Washington Nationals’ 2016 campaign.

The Washington Nationals have developed something of a reputation as underachievers in recent years, one they did little to shake in the 2016 season. The Nats have finished first or second in the National League East in each of the last five years. In their past three trips to the postseason (2012, 2014, 2016) they failed to advance beyond the NL Division Series. Earlier this month, they fell to the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games in the NLDS.

This year was a case where a fine display in the regular season was soured by unfulfilled expectations in October. The Nationals completed the campaign with a 95-67 record, tied with the Texas Rangers for the second-best mark in baseball. It was a significant bounce-back from the previous year, in which a late-season collapse cost the team a playoff spot… and manager Matt Williams his job. Veteran skipper Dusty Baker took the reins, and you can’t really complain about how his squad performed from April through September.

Despite a key injury or two, this is a talented ballclub that was widely expected to go farther. This year’s version of the Dodgers were a formidable group in their own right, but look at the names on the Nationals roster and you’ll see a squad that should have at least given the Chicago Cubs a fair challenge on the road to the World Series.

The ending is still just part of the story, however. Though the tale concluded earlier than Nats fans would have liked, there was still plenty to keep them occupied and engaged over the course of 167 games. Some of it good, some of it bad, some of it in between. So let’s take a closer look at what went right this season, what went wrong, and a bit of what the Nationals are looking at heading into 2017.

Next: The Good