As we count down the final days of 2017, we're counting down the most significant stories of the year for the Nationals. Some are positive. Some are negative. All helped define this baseball season in Washington. We'll reveal two per day through New Year's Eve, continuing right now with ...
No. 6: Ryan Zimmerman's comeback
It sounds a bit silly now, but one year ago a not-so-insignificant number of Nationals fans - perhaps even some folks employed by the club itself - weren't sure Ryan Zimmerman deserved to be an everyday player anymore.
The argument: Zimmerman had just batted a career-worst .218, with a .642 OPS that ranked 195th out of 203 major leaguers with at least 400 plate appearances. He was 32, hadn't played more than 115 games in a season since he was 28 and had long since lost any resemblance to the guy who through the first portion of his career helped lead this growing franchise.
Shoot, general manager Mike Rizzo went out on the eve of spring training and signed Adam Lind to serve at minimum as Zimmerman's backup, but more importantly as an experienced slugger who could take over everyday duties if Zimmerman got hurt or struggled again.
Who, then, could reasonably have foreseen what happened next?
There have been some other inspirational comeback stories in Nationals history, but none matched this one. Both because of Zimmerman's production and because of what he has always meant to the franchise.
The season began with a bang for Zimmerman, who during April hit a staggering .420 with 11 homers, 20 RBIs and 1.345 OPS to earn National League Player of the Month honors. He wound up beating out a star-studded field of worthy contenders to win the fan vote as the NL's starting first baseman in the All-Star Game. And though he did slump in July and August to raise some doubts, he finished strong with a 1.021 OPS in September.
When it was all said and done, Zimmerman became the first player in club history to hit .300 with 30 homers and 100 RBIs in a season, a stunning fact when you consider some of the other big-name sluggers who have worn the curly W cap over the last 13 years.
And to cap it off, Zimmerman got to enjoy his October moment in the spotlight, launching the three-run homer that propelled the Nats to a Game 2 victory over the Cubs. (Though, like most of his teammates, he struggled during the rest of the National League Division Series, going just 3-for-20.)
The bitter end couldn't spoil an otherwise brilliant season for Zimmerman, who now has to be viewed in an entirely different light than he was 365 days ago. It would be foolish to just assume he'll duplicate his numbers in 2018 - Rizzo has again covered himself by signing Matt Adams as a $4 million insurance policy - but it also would be foolish to just assume he'll revert to the dreadful performance he put forth in 2016.
Zimmerman owns just about every Nationals club record, and he even became the franchise's all-time leader in home runs and RBIs this season when he surpassed Expos greats Vladimir Guerrero and Tim Wallach. And Zimmerman is guaranteed to spend at least two more seasons in Washington, with the potential for the club to pick up an $18 million option in 2020 as well.
There's still a lot of baseball left in Zimmerman, and there's no telling where his story will go from here. But if nothing else, he can always look back on this remarkable comeback season and be proud of what he achieved.