Washington Nationals ace Max Scherzer has established himself as one of the top pitchers in the game, but he is currently on pace for his best year yet.
It is not often that players improve as they age, or even remain stagnant, but that is exactly what Washington Nationals ace Max Scherzer has done. As he has aged, his productivity and workload have also increased.
The Nats took a bargain on Scherzer, signing him to a seven-year, $210 million contract when he was 30. Hardly any megadeals work out, but this one was sure to blow up in the Nats’ face, right?
Wrong. Scherzer has somehow lived up to his contract, and the argument could be made that he has even outperformed it. At $210 million, he is a virtual bargain.
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In Scherzer’s first three seasons with the Nats, he won two Cy Young Awards and pitched two no-hitters. Although the Nats did not accomplish their ultimate goal, a World Series title, Scherzer did everything asked of him and more.
Now, after three unbelievable seasons in DC, Scherzer is on pace for his best year yet.
Through Scherzer’s first seven starts, he is 6-1 with a 1.79 ERA and leads the majors in strikeouts. Despite the Nats’ sluggish start, he has continued to dominate.
In the season’s first month, Scherzer ended three losing streaks of at least three games. Regardless of how bad the team is struggling, they can always depend on Scherzer to lead the way to victory.
In addition to missing bats on the mound, Scherzer has impressed with his own at the plate.
Scherzer is currently 5-for-19 (.263) with two RBI, two runs scored, and a stolen base. Incredibly, he has as many stolen bases as Cameron Maybin, who swiped 33 bags a year ago. Scherzer has truly done it all.
The highlight of Scherzer’s season thus far came on April 9 against the Atlanta Braves.
Five days after allowing five runs (two earned) in five innings against the Braves, Scherzer had one of the best games of his career against that same team. He tossed a complete game shutout, holding the Braves to just two hits. He also recorded a hit of his own and stole a bag.
With Scherzer’s amazing performance, he joined Nolan Ryan as the only other pitcher in MLB history to pitch a shutout, striking out at least 10 batters, and steal a base.
Somehow, we have gotten to the point where nothing Scherzer does, no matter how impressive, is surprising. He is a tremendous competitor and works harder than anyone to be the best he can possibly be. That is how he is such a force at age-33.
Although it hardly compares to the three Cy Young Awards on his mantel, Scherzer was named the National League Pitcher of the Month for his terrific April. Even as he enters his mid-thirties, Scherzer continues to add to his outstanding resume.
Through the first month of the season, Scherzer leads all NL pitchers in WAR and only trails A.J. Pollock for the NL lead. He led all NL pitchers in WAR last year, and he is well on his way to a repeat title.
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If the Washington Nationals are going to exorcise their postseason demons in 2018, they need Max Scherzer to be at the top of his game. Fortunately, he has gotten off to quite the start.