The Washington Nationals received a huge boost earlier this week, when star third baseman Ryan Zimmerman was activated off the DL. This is a huge shot in the arm for the Nationals on both offense and defense. Without Zimmerman in the lineup, the Nationals offense has been one of the worst in baseball, and adding a guy who’s career line is .289/.355/.483 (at only 26 years old) will do nothing but help.
In addition to the help that Zimmerman brings offensively, he helps out a ton on defense. Defensive metrics are a sketchy thing, but one of the ones used most by sabermetricians across the internet is John Dewan’s Defensive Runs Saved (DRS). Zimmerman has saved over 20 runs in three of the past four years. The 76 he’s saved since his debut in 2005 is second behind only Adrian Beltre in the majors in that time period. With Zimmerman out, the Nationals have given playing time at third to the following players: Brian Bixler, Alex Cora, and Jerry Hairston Jr. They’ve combined to cost the Nationals three runs on defense, so adding Zimmerman’s glove to the field of play helps immensely as well.
But back to the offense. I went over Zimmerman’s career line. While he’s been out, the aforementioned three players (Bixler, Cora, and Hairston) have gotten all the playing time at third. Hairston has gotten a majority of the playing time, and he has a .623 OPS. Cora is next in line, and his OPS is .593. Bringing up the rear is Bixler and his .445 OPS. Do you see why Zimmerman is so important to the Nationals? Look at the slop they’ve been trotting out there in his place. He is a player who can put up an .850 OPS in his sleep, and has been worth seven wins above replacement in each of the last two seasons.
When the Nationals signed Jayson Werth to his obscene contract this past offseason, they envisioned him hitting back to back with Zimmerman in their lineup for years to come. That hasn’t happened too much with the injury to the third baseman. But with Zimmerman back in the lineup, the Nationals could start to flirt with .500, thanks to a solid young core that includes those two players as well as outfielder Mike Morse, who is having a very under the radar season that includes a .915 OPS, and the criminally underrated Laynce Nix and his .876 OPS.
As a Braves fan, I almost feel dirty saying this…but the Nationals aren’t a doormat anymore. And when Bryce Harper is ready, probably by the middle to end of next season, they’re going to be even more competitive. Combine that with Stephen Strasburg’s return from Tommy John surgery, and there is a lot to be excited about in our nation’s capital. First the Pirates, now the Nationals…what perennial cellar dweller is going to step up next in the MLB?
