Major League Baseball

Nationals: Ryan Zimmerman making case for league's most pleasant surprise

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 4:38 p.m. ET

Fansided, Travis Koch/FanSided via Call to the Pen

The Washington Nationals are off to a sizzling start in 2017. Headliners Bryce Harper, Daniel Murphy and Trea Turner have all played a big part. However, it's another National who deserves most of the credit.

Who has been the Washington Nationals' most valuable player in 2017? The shoe-in choice would of course be the former MVP, Bryce Harper. Daniel Murphy pleads a nice case, as does emerging star Trea Turner. All very strong choices, but they are all incorrect. The correct answer is Ryan Zimmerman.

The 32-year-old Nationals first baseman is off to a booming start this season. Zimmerman is slashing .410/.456/.892. He leads the major leagues in batting average, slugging and OPS. Zimmerman's 1.347 OPS even trumps Eric Thames' 1.312 OPS. Thames has stolen most of the league's early headlines due to his instant MLB success since his return from playing in South Korea. Thames absolutely deserves the credit and attention to start the year, but Ryan Zimmerman deserves some as well.

Zimmerman has had a tough go of it in the last few seasons. He was limited to 95 games in the 2015 season, and played in just 61 games in 2014. He played in 115 games last season, but struggled mightily, hitting .218 with only 46 RBI. You name the injury and Zimmerman has dealt with it. He has missed time due to shoulder issues, hamstring issues and foot issues. But a healthy Ryan Zimmerman appears to be a reborn Ryan Zimmerman thus far in 2017.

We often forget how meaningful Ryan Zimmerman is to the Washington Nationals franchise. Zimmerman has spent all 13 of his big league seasons in a Nationals uniform. Yes, that includes the dog days in which they were the laughingstock of MLB. Zimmerman, throughout that span, was the lone bright spot on the roster.

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Thankfully, help was eventually on the way. Washington reached the bottom of the barrel in the '09 and '10 seasons, but a met a silver lining with back-to-back first overall draft picks. With those picks they selected Stephen Strasburg (2009) and Bryce Harper (2010). Strasburg and Harper have lived up to their prospective hype, and each has been front and center to the Nationals' recent success.

Additionally, the Nationals have drafted well beyond Strasburg and Harper. They have also been effective in the free agent market over the past few seasons. All in all, they've reached the postseason in three of the past six seasons. However, as the young guns have stolen the spotlight, the loyal veteran has become a slight afterthought.

Ryan Zimmerman became a complementary piece to the Washington lineup. He hit toward the bottom of the order and provided some balance to a generally top-heavy bunch. Through his time as a complementary piece, his sudden 2017 dominance has caught most of us fans off guard. For the Washington Nationals, he has been a very pleasant surprise.

A good story is always nice, but the Nationals' main objective is to win games. They've taken a back seat to the Giants, Dodgers and Cubs over the last handful of seasons. It's time they become the chased rather than the chasers. With Ryan Zimmerman playing a major part, the Washington Nationals have the best record in baseball at 17-8.

It has certainly been a small sample from a player and team perspective; however, there is no indication of a fallout on either end. Regardless of duration, it is nice to see the homegrown Ryan Zimmerman be the main man once again. This time he's leading the way for a contender.