No one loves a good debate quite like baseball fans, and with that in mind, we asked each of our beat reporters to rank the top five players by position in the history of their franchise, based on their careers while playing for that club.
Here is MLB.com reporter Jessica Camerato’s ranking of the Top 5 starting right-handed pitchers in Nationals/Expos history. Next week: starting left-handers.
1. Stephen Strasburg, Nationals (2010-22)
Key fact: Strasburg was selected by the Nats with the first overall pick in the 2009 Draft
Look on the Nationals and Expos pitching leaderboards and Strasburg's name is highlighted everywhere. With a 2010 Major League debut in which he fanned 14 batters, the homegrown right-hander went on to own the franchise mark in strikeouts (1,723). He accumulated a 113-62 career record, second to only Steve Rogers in wins and the most since the relocation to Washington, D.C., in 2005. Over his 1,470 regular-season innings, Strasburg held a 3.24 ERA and 31.0 bWAR.
Over his 1,438 2/3 regular-season innings, Strasburg holds a 3.17 ERA and 32.3 Wins Above Replacement, per Baseball-Reference, which is third in franchise history.
For all Strasburg accomplished during his time in Washington, it is his 2019 postseason performance that headlines his achievements. He became the first pitcher in Major League history to go 5-0 in the playoffs, and he won the World Series Most Valuable Player Award for his work. In the Nats' championship run, Strasburg fanned 47 and issued only four walks while posting a 1.98 ERA in six games (five starts). He came up clutch by throwing three scoreless innings out of the bullpen in the NL Wild Card Game win over the Brewers.
Strasburg’s accolades also include three All-Star selections and the 2012 Silver Slugger Award, during which season he hit a home run with a .277 batting average.
2. Max Scherzer, Nationals (2015-2021)
Key fact: Scherzer threw two no-hitters, both in 2015
Scherzer had already won a Cy Young Award with the Tigers when he signed with the Nationals, and he was just getting to work. In six-plus seasons in Washington, Scherzer put on a master class of pitching. He won back-to-back Cy Young Awards in 2016 and ‘17 while earning six All-Star selections as a member of the Nationals.
Scherzer went 92-47 with a 2.80 ERA and 0.962 WHIP in 189 starts with the Nats. He tallied 1,610 strikeouts for an 11.8 strikeout rate (compared to a 2.1 walk rate).
He is one of 11 pitchers in history (since 1900) with at least eight 200-plus strikeout seasons. With his epic showing against his former club in 2016, Scherzer joined Hall of Famer Randy Johnson as the only pitchers to throw a no-hitter and 20-strikeout game. He accumulated a 39.1 WAR with the Nationals.
The ultra-competitive Scherzer exhibited his determination in the 2019 World Series. Scratched from his start in Game 5 with a neck injury, he bounced back to start in the deciding Game 7 and threw five innings. He went 3-0 with a 2.40 ERA and 37 strikeouts over 30 frames in the playoff run.
3. Steve Rogers, Expos (1973-85)
Key fact: Rogers played his entire Major League career with Montreal
A five-time All-Star, Rogers leads all franchise pitchers with 45.1 bWAR, 2,837 2/3 innings pitched, 37 shutouts, 393 starts and 129 complete games. Over his 13-year career with the Expos, he went 158-152 with a 3.17 ERA, 3.20 FIP and 1.232 WHIP.
In the 1981 NL Division Series, Rogers threw a six-hit shutout against the Phillies in a deciding Game 5. He tallied an 0.98 ERA and went 3-1 in two rounds that postseason.
The following year, Rogers earned the 1982 ERA title with a 2.40 ERA while finishing runner-up to Steve Carlton in the NL Cy Young Award voting.
At the plate, Rogers paces all pitchers with 122 career hits and 101 sacrifice bunts.
4. Pedro Martinez, Expos (1994-97)
Key fact: Martínez is the only Expos player to win a Cy Young Award
Before he won the World Series with the Red Sox, Martinez garnered plenty of accolades with the Expos. In his four seasons in Montreal, Martinez earned two All-Star selections. His tenure was headlined by being named the 1997 NL Cy Young Award winner. That season, he went 17-8 with a 1.90 ERA, setting the franchise record for lowest ERA and the most strikeouts (305) in a single season.
That year would be the first of three times he won the illustrious award. He became an eight-time All-Star, five-time ERA title winner, Triple Crown winner and All-Star Game MVP. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2015.
5. Dennis Martinez, Expos (1986-93)
Key fact: Won the ERA title in 1991 (2.39)
Martinez ranks second among all Expos and Nationals pitchers with 1,609 innings, third with 100 wins and fourth with a 30.0 bWAR. He earned three of his four All-Star nods in his tenure with Montreal.
On July 28, 1991, Martinez threw the only perfect game in franchise history. He struck out five over 96 pitches at Dodger Stadium. It was just the 15th perfect game in Major League history at the time.
Honorable mentions
Jordan Zimmermann, Nationals (2009-15)
On Sept. 28, 2014, Zimmermann threw the first no-hitter in Washington, D.C., since Bobby Burke did so in 1931 as a member of the American League Senators. It was also the Nats' first since the club relocated. Zimmermann fanned 10 and allowed only one walk in the memorable regular-season finale against the Marlins. In his seven seasons, Zimmermann was 70-50 with a 3.32 ERA and 19.5 bWAR.
Livan Hernandez, Expos/Nationals (2003-06)
Hernandez earned back-to-back All-Star selections from 2004-05. He led the NL in innings pitched in '03 and topped all of baseball in '04 and '05. Hernandez also paced all pitchers with 35 starts in ‘04 and ‘05. Offensively, he won the ‘04 Silver Slugger Award. Hernandez (70-72, 3.98 ERA) had a 17.4 bWAR.