20 Greatest Players in Nats History (No. 11-15)

Thanks to everyone who read and commented on the first installment of our 20 Greatest Players in Nationals History series. If you missed it, click this link to find out who checked in at Nos. 16-20 before proceeding with this week’s piece featuring Nos. 11-15.

Reminder: This is a purely subjective exercise. Stats were considered, of course, but greatness is about more than stats. It’s about impact, both on and off the field. It’s about significance to the franchise during its two decades in D.C. And on some instinctual level, it’s just about the players that you think most fondly of when you consider the last 20 years of Nats baseball.

We’ll continue the series each Sunday through the rest of the month, culminating with the Top 5 on Dec. 29 …

NO. 15 – LIVÁN HERNÁNDEZ
Starting pitcher, 2005-2006, 2009-11
Stats: 44-47, 4.32 ERA, 129 GS, 828.2 IP, 915 H, 430 R, 398 ER, 82 HR, 262 BB, 476 SO, 94 ERA+, 1.420 WHIP, 7.7 bWAR, 10.2 fWAR

Perhaps no player better epitomizes the early years of the Nationals than the man who threw the first pitch in club history. Hernández already had enjoyed a notable career before coming here, winning National League Championship and World Series MVP honors as a rookie for the Marlins in 1997, then again pitching in the World Series for the Giants in 2002. He was traded to the Expos in 2003 and established himself as the workhorse ace of that staff by the time he joined them in relocating to Washington.

    

Roark's curveball helps confuse former team as Blue Jays sweep Nats

Roark's curveball helps confuse former team as Blue Jays sweep Nats
The Nationals did not have a good start again Tuesday night. This time, it was an old friend who made them uncomfortable. In his first start at Nationals Park since Sept. 5, 2018, right-hander Tanner Roark beat his former team as the Blue Jays dropped the Nats 5-1, sweeping the two-game series. Roark spent six seasons with the Nats from 2013-2018, and was a member of three National East championship clubs. His three best seasons in the majors, going a combined 44-31, coincided with...
    

Nationals slog through another loss to Blue Jays (updated)

Nationals slog through another loss to Blue Jays (updated)
There's no delicate way to put this: The Nationals are a listless bunch on the baseball field right now. It's perfectly understandable, given the circumstances. They're trying to play through a pandemic. Their top slugger remains stuck in quarantine even though he's passed two official coronavirus tests and several more unofficial ones. Their World Series MVP is sidelined with a nerve injury in his hand. Their face of the franchise is sitting at home watching on TV after opting out of this...
    

Eaton's RBI single answers Guerrero's early homer (Nats fall 5-1)

Eaton's RBI single answers Guerrero's early homer (Nats fall 5-1)
The Blue Jays got ahead of right-hander Austin Voth and the Nationals in the second inning on a home run from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Left fielder Emilio Bonifácio and center fielder Victor Robles went after Guerrero's long fly ball to left-center field. The two collided at the wall and the ball went over the fence for a home run. Robles appeared to have the ball in his glove for a moment right before the two collided. Bonifácio went down on his back but got up with the help of Robles. The...
    

Game 5 lineups: Nats vs. Blue Jays

Game 5 lineups: Nats vs. Blue Jays
This has become a recurring theme every day during this unprecedented season: The Nationals spend the morning and afternoon dealing with major news events, then have to actually take the field to play a ballgame in the evening. So far, that has resulted in a 1-3 record. They'll try to flip that back in a more positive direction tonight in the second of four games with the Blue Jays. Austin Voth will try to do what Aníbal Sánchez couldn't do last night: keep Toronto's hitters in the...
    

Nats' thoughts on Marlins, Strasburg throws, Roark returns

Nats' thoughts on Marlins, Strasburg throws, Roark returns
Some news and notes on this Tuesday morning ... * Baseball can be a respite from world events. Right now, it's also a respite from baseball. After spending all of Monday morning and afternoon consumed with the news of the Marlins' coronavirus outbreak, the Nationals went out and played their own game. They went on to lose, 4-1 to the Blue Jays, but nobody was attributing their performance to the distraction of that far more important development. "Honestly, once the game starts you get so...
    

Strasburg credits teammates for his 100th victory

Strasburg credits teammates for his 100th victory
Stephen Strasburg notched his 100th win as a member of the Nationals Tuesday with a 9-5 comeback win over the Chicago White Sox. But it certainly didn't start out feeling like a good night for the right-hander. The White Sox were able to plate four runs on three hits in the first inning, highlighted by run-scoring singles from James McCann and Eloy Jiménez, and then a somewhat surprising two-run single with two-outs and the bases loaded from No. 8 hitter Yolmer Sánchez. Just like that,...
    

Tanner beats Tanner as Nats right the series with 5-2 win over Reds

Tanner beats Tanner as Nats right the series with 5-2 win over Reds
CINCINNATI - Tanner had a big influence in deciding the Nationals' 5-2 win over the Reds Saturday at Great American Ball Park. Both of them. In December of 2018, the Nationals traded starting pitcher Tanner Roark to the Reds for reliever Tanner Rainey. Saturday in Cincinnati they played against each other on the same field. Gerardo Parra cranked a three-run homer and Matt Adams slammed a solo shot off Roark (4-4), who spent six seasons with the Nats. The pair came in with excellent splits...
    

News on Fedde, Zimmerman, Rosenthal and Adams (Nats win 5-2)

News on Fedde, Zimmerman, Rosenthal and Adams (Nats win 5-2)
CINCINNATI - Nationals manager Davey Martinez is looking for right-hander Erick Fedde to continue to build off his last two outings today in the Queen City in his first-ever start against the Reds. Fedde threw 83 pitches over five innings May 26 in earning his first win of the season, a 9-6 victory over the Marlins. In that game, the former UNLV standout scattered four hits over five shutout innings with three walks and four strikeouts. He also went five innings May 21 and allowed only one run...
    

Game 58 lineups: Nats at Reds

Game 58 lineups: Nats at Reds
CINCINNATI - The amazing run of Juan Soto continues. Even in a 9-3 series-opening loss against the Reds Friday night, Soto delivered with a single, a double and a homer, finishing with two of the Nationals' three RBIs. The left fielder is hitting .533 (16-for-30) with three doubles, one triple, three homers, eight RBIs, six walks and 13 runs scored in his last eight games. "He works on not only hitting but his overall game," said Nationals manager Davey Martinez. "He's getting better. I...
    

Roark excited about chance to face old team Saturday (Nats fall 9-3)

Roark excited about chance to face old team Saturday (Nats fall 9-3)
CINCINNATI - On Wednesday, former Braves starter Aníbal Sánchez pitched for his new team, the Nationals, in a 14-4 win in Atlanta. Sánchez tossed 5 1/3 perfect innings to earn his first victory of the season. On Saturday afternoon here, the tables will be turned, as former Nationals starter Tanner Roark gets the chance to pitch against Washington for the first time since he was traded in the offseason. Roark went to the Reds in exchange for reliever Tanner Rainey Dec. 12. "It's going...
    

Why the Nats placed their bet on Sánchez, not Roark

Why the Nats placed their bet on Sánchez, not Roark
Place your bets now. Who will have the better season: Aníbal Sánchez or Tanner Roark? You know the comparisons are inevitable after the Nationals traded Roark to the Reds last week and then signed Sánchez Thursday evening to take his place as the club's No. 4 starter. As everyone said at the time, the Roark trade could only be judged after it was known who would occupy the spot he held for the better part of five seasons. This is the bet Mike Rizzo and the Nationals made, that...
    

Source: Sánchez gets two-year deal from Nats, plus 2021 option

Source: Sánchez gets two-year deal from Nats, plus 2021 option
The Nationals, in need of a No. 4 starter since last week's trade of Tanner Roark, have agreed to terms on a two-year deal with veteran right-hander Aníbal Sánchez, according to a source familiar with the signing. The deal is pending a physical and also includes a club option for 2021. The Detroit Free Press reported Sánchez will make $19 million over the two guaranteed seasons (2019-20). A longtime Nationals nemesis during a 13-year career with the Marlins, Tigers and Braves,...
    

In appreciation of Tanner Roark

In appreciation of Tanner Roark
Because the trade occurred late in the Winter Meetings last week, and because the Nationals have made more news since, Tanner Roark's departure for Cincinnati perhaps hasn't received as much attention as it deserves. Consider this, then, one final acknowledgement of Roark's career in Washington. Because it was significant, it was very good at times and it may not be as easy to replace as some would like to believe. Did Roark have his faults? Sure. Especially over the last two seasons, he...
    

Where things stand halfway through the offseason

Where things stand halfway through the offseason
The Winter Meetings are now completed, which means the offseason is now half completed. Yep, it's been 10 weeks since the Nationals' season ended in Colorado, and it's 10 weeks until pitchers and catchers report to West Palm Beach. So this feels like a good opportunity to take a broad look at the state of the roster, figure out what the Nats have accomplished so far and what they still need to accomplish before they assemble in Florida. Here's where things currently stand ... * The rotation...
    

Nats head home minus Roark, but with door wide open for others

Nats head home minus Roark, but with door wide open for others
LAS VEGAS - The Nationals came to town Sunday with a short list of roster needs after an aggressive run of moves earlier in the offseason. They leave town today without having filled any of those holes, but having created a brand new one. Wednesday evening's surprise trade of Tanner Roark to the Reds for minor league reliever Tanner Rainey wasn't what most would have predicted would be the club's lone transaction of the Winter Meetings. It left more than a few folks at the Mandalay Bay...
    

With an assist from Nationals, Reds begin reworking their starting staff

With an assist from Nationals, Reds begin reworking their starting staff
LAS VEGAS - Nationals pitcher Tanner Roark was traded Wednesday to the Reds, a team that's trying to rebuild its rotation and recover from four consecutive seasons of at least 90 losses. The Reds have had nothing but pitching problems. Last year, their staff gave up 5.06 runs a game, highest in the National League. The staff finished 14th in ERA (4.63) in 2018 and were last in 2017 at 5.17. Last year, the Reds fired their manager, Bryan Price, a former pitching coach, after the first 18 games,...
    

Nats trade Roark to Reds for hard-throwing reliever

Nats trade Roark to Reds for hard-throwing reliever
LAS VEGAS - Asked Tuesday about the possibility of trading Tanner Roark, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo suggested such a move would only happen if the Nationals had already acquired another pitcher to fill that spot in a rotation top-heavy with talent but lacking in quality depth. This afternoon, Rizzo traded Roark to the Reds for a minor league reliever, leaving his rotation - for the moment - short a proven No. 4 starter. "Surprised," Roark said during a hastily arranged conference...
    

Teams inquiring about Roark, but Rizzo wants more pitching

Teams inquiring about Roark, but Rizzo wants more pitching
LAS VEGAS - Though multiple teams have approached the Nationals in recent days about Tanner Roark, general manager Mike Rizzo suggested he isn't looking to trade the veteran right-hander and would only do so if he had already bolstered his rotation with another significant acquisition. Responding to a report early this morning by Yahoo! Sports that the Nationals "have engaged in multiple discussions to trade" Roark, Rizzo admitted there have been some talks this week, but only those...
    

What to make of Tanner Roark trade speculation

What to make of Tanner Roark trade speculation
LAS VEGAS - The Winter Meetings are all about rumors. They dominate the lobby conversation day and night at the Mandalay Bay Casino and Resort. They fuel all sorts of media speculation. And they're discussed each day when reporters meet with general managers to get an update on their team's machinations. This morning brought some chatter n Yahoo! Sports about the Nationals shopping right-hander Tanner Roark, who seems an unusual trade candidate considering that general manager Mike Rizzo...