We will look back at some of the great first basemen in Nats history
After trading for Nathaniel Lowe, the Washington Nationals have a new first baseman. With a new face at the cold corner, it feels like a good time to reminisce about some of the Nationals best first baseman. In their relatively short history, the Nats have had some great players at the position.
When the Nationals came to town, they had a young cornerstone piece at first base in Nick Johnson. He was one of the best players on the team in 2005 and 2006. For my money, he had the second best eye in Nationals history, only behind Juan Soto. Johnson walked over 15% of the time for his career. In his two full seasons with the Nationals, he posted on base percentages of .408 and .428. However, following an elite 2006 season, where he had a .948 OPS, his career was destroyed by injuries. In what was supposed to be his prime, injuries sent Johnson’s promising career to a halt.
After Johnson, the next great Nats first baseman was slugger Adam Dunn. Prior to the 2009 season, they signed Dunn to a two year, 20 million dollar deal. In that 2009 season, Dunn had one of the most bizarre seasons in MLB history, which was covered in a brilliant video by foolish baseball. Dunn was elite at the plate, with a .928 OPS and 38 home runs. However, his defense was so bad both in the outfield and at first base that he posted a negative WAR. It was the worst defensive season in MLB history.
In 2010, Dunn played first base full time, where his defense improved. It was not great, but it was acceptable, which is all it needed to be with his bat. In that 2010 season, Dunn once again hit 38 home runs. Even with a worse .892 OPS, he still managed 2.5 WAR due to improved defense.
After Dunn left in free agency, it was clear that Mike Rizzo made first base defense a priority. When he grabbed Adam LaRoche, he was signing one of the best defensive first baseman in baseball. LaRoche is a player that shares a lot of similarities to Nathaniel Lowe. After an injury plagued first season, he had a massive bounce back year in 2012. LaRoche was one of the key cogs in that breakthrough 2012 team. He won the silver slugger and gold glove that year, and even finished sixth in MVP voting. It was the best year of his career.
After having a down year in 2013, he bounced back in 2014, as the team improved as a whole. LaRoche hit 26 home runs and had an .817 OPS that season, in what was his final year in DC. After he left for the White Sox, he had a strange retirement, after he was asked to bring his kid in the clubhouse less.
After LaRoche left, franchise icon Ryan Zimmerman moved from third base to first base. While Zimmerman was a gold glove level defender at third early in his career, shoulder injuries had destroyed his throwing ability. By 2015, he was a full time first baseman. By this time, Zimmerman’s body was breaking down, but he still gave the Nats some great years. His 2017 season was particularly memorable. The Z-man turned back the clock, hitting a career high 36 home runs, while hitting .303 and posting a .930 OPS. This was Zimmerman’s last truly great season, but he still gave the Nats solid production when he was healthy until his retirement. His return down the stretch and in the postseason gave the Nats a huge jolt in 2019.
Since Zimmerman left, first base has been a bit of a black hole for the Nationals. Josh Bell had some moments, but struggled with inconsistency. Guys like Joey Gallo, Joey Meneses, and Dom Smith have not been able to produce at a high level. However, Nathaniel Lowe should be able to make his mark and be the next quality Nats first baseman. Out of all the Nats first baseman, he reminds me the most of LaRoche, with his consistently above average bat and gold glove level defense.