Washington Nationals: 5 keys to victory in Wild Card Game
2. Unexpected contributions
Juan Soto and Anthony Rendon rightfully get most of the credit for driving the Nationals offense. It’s hard not to be excited about Soto’s 34 homers and 110 RBI in his age-20 season or Rendon’s monster .319/.412/.598 line and MLB-leading 126 RBI, but the Nationals lineup has been boosted by some very under-the-radar names this season. Washington lost Bryce Harper and barely skipped a beat.
The most underrated hitter in the Nationals offensive attack is veteran Howie Kendrick who is aging like a fine wine. The 36-year-old had a career year, hitting .344/.395/.572 with 17 home runs and 62 RBI in 121 games. In parts of three seasons with Washington, Kendrick has hit .322/.369/.522. Always known as one of the best pure hitters in baseball, Kendrick has really become an unexpected source of power late in his career. Injuries appear to be the only thing capable of preventing him from hitting .300 until his mid-40s.
In addition to Kendrick, the Nationals got a big year from backup catcher Kurt Suzuki. Like Kendrick, the 35-year-old Suzuki is also enjoying a late-career resurgence. He hit .264/.324/.486 with 17 home runs and 63 RBI in just 85 games. Those are borderline All-Star numbers for a catcher. The most surprising offensive star in the second half might be Asdrubal Cabrera, who hit .323/.404/.565 in 38 games with the Nationals with six home runs and 40 RBI.
To win a one-game playoff, teams must get big performances out of their stars, but that’s not always how baseball works. There is much more randomness in this sport compared to basketball or football, where LeBron James or Tom Brady will always control the outcome of a contest. Teams have to get something from the top to the bottom of their 25-man roster to win a MLB playoff game.