-1745819772711.png){kind=logo}
With more than two decades of their own history to call back upon now, more and more players from Nationals history are beginning to show up on the Hall of Fame ballot.
This year’s ballot, as a matter of fact, includes three ex-Nats players for the first time: Gio Gonzalez, Howie Kendrick and Daniel Murphy.
OK, so none of those three is likely to garner much (if any) support from BBWAA voters. But it’s a distinct honor simply to make the Hall of Fame ballot, and not too many Nationals have over the years.
This year’s trio brings the grand total of Nats players to appear on the ballot to 19. Only one has earned election to Cooperstown: Ivan Rodriguez who made it in 2017 on his first attempt, receiving 76 percent support. But only four others have ever even received any votes, and none came anywhere close to induction.
Alfonso Soriano got six votes in 2020. Jonathan Papelbon got five votes in 2022. And Liván Hernández (2018) and Adam Dunn (2020) each received one vote. (No, none of those came from yours truly. I have stricter standards than that.)
The others to have played for the Nationals and appeared on a Hall of Fame ballot: Carlos Baerga (2011), Mike Stanton (2013), Royce Clayton (2013), Paul Lo Duca (2014), Aaron Boone (2015), Matt Stairs (2017), Brad Lidge (2018), Rick Ankiel (2019), Dan Haren (2021), Jayson Werth (2023), Fernando Rodney (2025).
Most of those names, while certainly recognizable, really made their names playing for other teams and only spent a brief time in D.C., usually near the ends of their careers. Only Hernández and Werth might be thought of as Nats above any other teams they played for, and even then, you can make a case for the Marlins with Livo and the Phillies with J-Dub.
That does make this year’s three new entrants more intriguing, because all did make some real significant contributions to the Nationals.
Gonzalez spent seven of his 13 seasons here, going 86-65 with a 3.62 ERA and 1,215 strikeouts in 213 starts. He wasn’t as good as Max Scherzer or Stephen Strasburg, but he was consistently one of the better left-handed starters in the sport, a 21-game winner and All-Star in 2012 and a two-time recipient of Cy Young Award votes.
You don’t need to be reminded of Kendrick’s contributions to this franchise. He may have played a lot more games for the Angels (1,081) and a few more games for the Dodgers (263), but he didn’t hit a series-clinching grand slam or win a League Championship Series MVP award or deliver a World Series Game 7-winning home run for either of those other teams.
Murphy did enjoy some postseason success with the Mets in 2015, but he didn’t truly become a great hitter until he came to Washington the following year. And during his three seasons here, he was an absolute force at the plate, with a .329/.380/.550 slash line, 99 doubles, 54 homers, 226 RBIs and a .930 OPS that trails only Juan Soto among everyone who took at least 200 plate appearances wearing a curly W helmet.
Will any of those receive Hall of Fame votes? You wouldn’t think so, although maybe there will be one or two writers out there who include them on their ballots.
Regardless, it’s nice to see that after more than two decades in D.C., some of the best players in Nationals history are starting to be recognized more for their contributions.
