Washington Nationals manager Davey Johnson knows a thing or two about winning. Johnson was a part of The Baltimore Orioles machine that won two Two World Series Championships in 1966 and 1970. Johnson was the manager of The New York Mets for the majority of the 80s as they won The World Series in 1986. Johnson also had stints managing The Cincinnati Reds, Orioles, and Los Angeles Dodgers. Before taking over in Washington, The Dodgers were the only team that Johnson managed that failed to make the playoffs.
Now Johnson and his magic pixie dust are in The Nation’s Capitol as he is turning around The Nationals. Johnson took over in D.C. midway through the 2011 season for Jim Riggleman. In 83 games last season, Johnson posted a 40-43 record as The Nats finished the season with a record of 80-81.
None of us expected Washington to have the kind of season that they are currently having in 2012. At 77-47, The Nationals currently have the best record in Major League Baseball as they are running away with The National League East. The Nats have a 6.5 game lead over The Atlanta Braves in The NL East, but it has been a total team effort in getting things done.
Journeyman first baseman Adam LaRoche is leading the team in home runs with 23 as well as runs batted in with 78. Nats third baseman Ryan Zimmerman signed a six-year, $100 million contract extension prior to the season starting and he is getting back to the form that made him an All-Star in 2009. Zimmerman has 16 homers and an on-base percentage of .354. All-Star second baseman Ian Desmond is having the best season of his brief four-year career. With 19 homers and 15 stolen bases, Desmond is on the verge of his first 20-20 season. Then there is outfielder Bryce Harper.
Harper was the first overall pick of The 2010 MLB Draft as he was one of the best prospects to come along in a very long time. In 2009, Harper was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated as he was hitting 500-foot home runs while he was still in high school. The Nats called him up from Triple-A on April 27 and he has been a whirlwind ever since. Harper became the youngest position player to make The All-Star Game. At 19-years age, Harper is already becoming a cult icon in D.C. for famously responding to a reporter saying “That’s a clown question bro” in Toronto. Harper has 12 homers and six triples as he has brought a level of excitement to The Nationals organization. As a team, The Nationals are fourth in home runs in The National League with 134 and they are also fourth in hits with 1,111.
The Nationals pitching staff was expected to be improved this year as well. The Nationals pitching staff boasts the best team earned run average in baseball at 3.23. The Nats acquired All-Star starting pitcher Gio Gonzalez from The Oakland Athletics in the offseason and he has been a pleasant addition. Gonzalez is tied for The National League lead in wins with 16. Starting pitcher Jordan Zimmerman’s 2.54 earned run average is second in The NL. Relief pitcher Tyler Clippard is enjoying his first season as a closer and he is fifth in The NL with 28 saves. However, when you think of The Nationals pitching staff the first name that comes to mind in Stephen Strasburg. Strasburg came onto the scene fast and furious after Washington selected him first overall in The 2009 MLB Draft. Strasburg came out of the gates fast in 2010 as he struck out 14 Pittsburgh Pirates in his MLB debut. Strasburg missed the majority of the 2011 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, but he has returned with a vengeance this season. With a 15-5 record, a 2.85 earned run average, and 183 strikeouts, Strasburg is a logical candidate for The National League’s Cy Young Award, but his stiffest competition might come from his own teammate in Gonzalez.
Thanks to Johnson and Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo, this franchise is on the verge of having the success that always seemed to elude them when they were The Montreal Expos. Montreal was the home of this team from 1969-2004 and as The Expos they were snake bitten. The Expos were contenders for the first time in 1979, but they fell three games short of winning The NL East which was won by The Pirates. In 1981, Montreal was one game away from The World Series before they fell to The Dodgers in The National League Championship Series. The Expos had the best record in baseball in 1994 before the season was lost that summer to a labor strike. The Expos produced Hall of Famers such as Andre Dawson and Gary Carter along with Pedro Martinez, Vladimir Guerrero, and Larry Walker who all have the potential to grace the halls of Cooperstown. All of these players left Montreal because the organization could not afford to pay them since the fans at Olympic Stadium in Montreal would pay in Canadian currency while the players had to be paid in American dollars.
It has been a slow process of building something special in Washington, but Johnson is the right architect. Johnson took over a young and talented Met team in 1984 and if the same playoff format that is currently in use was around then, The Mets and Johnson might have won a few more World Series Titles. It makes it easy for Johnson to manage this team because they work hard. Harper is the youngest player on this team, but he could be the reincarnation of “Charlie Hustle” aka Pete Rose. You are guaranteed to see Harper leave every game with a dirty uniform and he might crash into the outfield as well. The Nats have speculated about shutting down Strasburg at 160 innings pitched this season, but he has made it known that he wants to continue pitching in 2012 because this season could indeed be special in Washington. It appears that the stars are finally aligning for this once forgotten franchise and Johnson deserves a ton of credit.
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