Remembering the greatest season in the Nationals early history
These days, we are seeing an increase in 40 home run, 40 stolen base seasons. Since the implementation of new rules in 2023, both Ronald Acuna Jr., and Shohei Ohtani have joined the exclusive club. However, before the new rules, there had not been a 40-40 season since 2006. That was when Alfonso Soriano dazzled the baseball world in his lone season in DC.
In 2006, the Washington Nationals were still in their infancy. They were in RFK Stadium, and managed by the iconic Frank Robinson. Coming off a surprising 81-81 inaugural campaign there was a lot of excitement brewing in the city.
To take advantage of that, the Nationals decided to trade for a star player in Alfonso Soriano. They traded Brad Wilkerson, Armando Galarraga (yes the one that should have had a perfect game), and Terrmel Sledge for Soriano. It was a sizable haul for Soriano, who only had one year left on his contract.
Soriano rewarded the Nationals with a truly iconic season. Even though the Nationals were terrible as a team, Soriano remains a Nats hero. He was the greatest power/speed threat in Nats history.
Soriano’s numbers were jaw dropping. He hit .277 with .911 OPS, to go with 46 home runs and 41 stolen bases. His 41 doubles also made him the first player in MLB history to have a 40-40-40 season. Soriano was at the peak of his powers, and was an athletic marvel on the field. While I was just five years old at the time, I still remember being aware about how special a 40-40 season was.
In both May, and July, Soriano hit over 10 home runs, carrying the Nats offense. By the start of September, Soriano was already at 43 home runs and 34 stolen bases. On September 16th, 2006, Soriano joined one of the most exclusive clubs in baseball, when he stole his 40th base.
However, Soriano was in DC for a good time, not a long time. That winter, Soriano went to the open market, and signed with the Cubs on an eight-year $136 million deal. Soriano had an up and down tenure with the Cubs, where he had some good seasons, but could never live up to the price tag.
However, that does not take away from the historic year he had in the Nations Capital. Alfonso Soriano was one of the greatest players in the Nats early history. His 2006 season remains one of the top 3 greatest individual seasons in team history. Some have called Soriano’s 40-40 season forgotten, but it will live on in the annals of Washington Nationals history.