Eighteen seasons into their existence, the Nationals can only claim one former player who was inducted to the Hall of Fame. And while Ivan Rodriguez’s Cooperstown case was rock solid, few really remember the great catcher for the two seasons he spent in D.C. at the end of his career.

It’ll be a while longer before any other former Nats are elected. Figure it’ll be at least seven years until Max Scherzer completes both his contract with the Mets and then the requisite five-year waiting period to become eligible. And if Max has anything to say about it, he has no intention of retiring in two years anyway.

It’ll take even longer before the likes of Juan Soto, Bryce Harper, Trea Turner and Anthony Rendon end their careers. Besides, each of them still has plenty of work to do to solidify his resume, with Soto and Harper in the best position of the four at the moment and Rendon desperately needing to right his wayward ship since he left Washington for Anaheim.

So, the Nationals’ representation in Cooperstown may stay minimal for some time.

But what about honoring former players who don’t really have a Hall of Fame case but still left an indelible impact on the franchise? There’s a longer list of those players, and maybe as the Nats’ approach their third decade in town it’s time to start thinking about them more.

One of the weak spots for the Nationals since they moved to DC has been their pitching; but there are a couple of youngsters who are going to change all that. Jordan Zimmermann and Shairon Martis are two of the best young pitchers I've seen in the last 20 years. Now, I won't compare them to Hall of Fame pitchers, because I think that just adds too much pressure. They are good enough to stand on their own. I will tell you - believe the hype. Jordan has great command of all of his...

One of the weak spots for the Nationals since they moved to DC has been their pitching; but there are a couple of youngsters who are going to change all that. Jordan Zimmermann and Shairon Martis are two of the best young pitchers I've seen in the last 20 years. Now, I won't compare them to Hall of Fame pitchers, because I think that just adds too much pressure. They are good enough to stand on their own. I will tell you - believe the hype. Jordan has great command of all of his...

High Single-A Potomac right-hander John Simms won his first game as a professional Saturday. He went seven innings, struck out a career-high 14 batters and allowed one run and two hits in a 6-1 win over Wilmington. Winning your first game as a professional is a big deal for any player, but is an especially big deal for Simms, the former Rice Owl who had pitched in 25 games and made 10 starts before finally breaking through. Director of player development Mark Scialabba told me Simms did a...

In a tie ballgame, every play matters. Jordan Zimmermann found himself in a bit of a jam in the seventh inning with two men in scoring position and only one out. Kevin Frandsen came to the plate and ripped it down the third base line, but Ryan Zimmerman snatched it and got the lead runner going to the plate. Cesar Hernandez came to the plate with two on and two outs, the game tied at 2-2. He hit a grounder past Adam LaRoche, and well, I'll let the video explain the rest ... Click here to...

On Wednesday afternoon, Washington Nationals pitchers Jordan Zimmermann and Tyler Clippard visited Long Branch Elementary School in Arlington to teach children about healthy lifestyles. Zimmermann and Clippard answered questions for the students about how they learned to play baseball, what it's like to play for the Nationals and how to stay motivated after a bad game. They also talked about facing Albert Pujols, admiring Greg Maddux and careers they may have pursued if baseball hadn't...

Come on, Santa. Twelve straight losing seasons is enough. I'll leave extra cookies. You know O's fans have been good all these years. Well, for the most part. They've certainly been better than those Yankee and Red Sox fans that parade into the Yard every year. Maybe Santa won't be able to leave a winning season under the tree. How would you wrap that anyway. Still, the O's seem to be sticking to the plan this winter and have made some nice pickups.