Washington Nationals: filling the All-Time Nats roster
For 15 years the Washington Nationals have made a habit of bringing in players who were past their prime. Today we fill a roster with the best of them.
Over the course of their fifteen year existence, the Washington Nationals have made a habit of signing players who were at the end of their respective careers. Most of these players made a name for themselves somewhere else then puttered out in Washington.
In most cases players were chosen for this team because they had successful seasons outside of Washington before coming to the nation’s capital to end their playing days. However, to fill out the roster, in some cases players were utility players for other teams or bench players for teams before ending their careers in Washington.
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The one criteria for a player to qualify for this team is they played their last game in major league baseball in a Washington Nationals uniform, after establishing themselves for another team prior.
I found 33 players who fit this mold so some cuts had to be made. A few of the more memorable names not to make the trip north with our fictitious franchise are Carlos Baerga, Alex Cora, Miguel Montero, and Greg Dobbs.
Baerga was well past his prime when he suited up for the Nationals in 2005, his stats aren’t even worth mentioning.
Before Cora was cheating in Houston and Boston, he was finishing his playing career with a forgettable 2011 season.
Many questioned why Montero made the team out of spring at the backup catcher spot in 2018. He went 0 for the season and was released after two weeks.
Dobbs had one hit in fourteen at-bats in 2014 before the Marlins released him, so why wouldn’t the Nats bring him in. He was 6-28 with Washington driving in two runs.