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 career while playing for that club.
Here is Jessica Camerato’s ranking of the top five third basemen in Nationals/Expos history. These rankings are for fun and debate purposes only.
1) Ryan Zimmerman, 2005-2021 (Nationals)
Key fact: Zimmerman is the first Nationals player to have his number retired.
It’s hard to think about the Nationals without thinking of Zimmerman. The team's first Draft pick since relocating to Washington, D.C., in 2005, Zimmerman became a mainstay in the organization. He manned the hot corner for his first 10 seasons and has played 1,133 of his 1,691 games at the position.
Zimmerman topped the National League in putouts (2006, '07, '13), assists ('07, '09) and double plays turned ('07, '13) at third base. Overall, he had a .957 career fielding percentage at third.
Zimmerman transitioned in 2015 to first base, where he was playing when he helped the Nationals win the World Series in 2019.
Zimmerman retired after the 2021 season as the franchise leader in games played, hits, runs, RBIs, doubles, home runs and total bases. Over his 16-year career, he recorded a .277/.341/.475 career slash line with an .816 OPS.
2) Anthony Rendon, 2013-19 (Nationals)
Key fact: Rendon’s cumulative .859 OPS is the team’s highest all-time for a third baseman.
Like Zimmerman, Rendon began his Major League career as a first-round Draft pick of the Nationals (2011). He played both second and third early on, and then took over at third full time in ‘16. In total, he played 749 of his 916 games at third for the Nats.
Over his seven years in Washington, Rendon slashed .290/.369/.490 with an .859 OPS. For three consecutive seasons from 2016-18, Rendon led the NL in fielding percentage at his position.
In the Nats' 2019 World Series championship run, Rendon hit .412 in the National League Division Series, followed by .417 in the NLCS. His homer in Game 7 of the World Series helped lead Washington's comeback victory over Houston.
Rendon won two Silver Slugger Awards in 2014 and ’19 for his performance at the plate. He paced the National League in runs scored ('14), RBIs ('19) and doubles ('18, ‘19), culminating in his first All-Star selection in 2019. He also finished third in Most Valuable Player Award voting in ‘19.
3) Tim Wallach, Expos (1980-92)
Key fact: Wallach ranks second in the franchise in games played, behind only Zimmerman.
Wallach donned an Expos uniform for the first 13 of his 17 Major League seasons. He earned five All-Star nods, three Gold Glove Awards and two Silver Slugger Awards while in Montreal.
During his tenure with the Expos, Wallach hit .259/.317/.418 with a .735 OPS. In addition to games played, he ranks second in the franchise in hits, doubles, RBIs and total bases.
As an Expo, Wallach's defensive accolades at third base include leading the NL in putouts (1982-85, '87-88), assists ('84-85), double plays turned ('84-85, '88), and fielding percentage ('91).
4) Bob Bailey, Expos (1969-75)
Key fact: Bailey collected 100-plus hits in five consecutive years (1970-74).
In seven seasons with Montreal, Bailey hit .264/.368/.437. In 1963 with the Pirates, Bailey led the National League with 38 double plays turned at third base. He also finished second that season with 332 assists and fifth with 113 putouts at the hot corner. Bailey also played first base and outfield for the Expos.
5) Larry Parrish, Expos (1974-81)
Key fact: Parrish was named the 1979 Expos Player of the Year by the Montreal chapter of the BBWAA.
Parrish played the first half of his 15-year Major League career with the Expos, hitting .263/.315/.426 along the way. Parrish finished third in voting for the 1975 NL Rookie of the Year Award, and he earned an All-Star selection in ‘79.