Washington Nationals set the NL home run record
The Nationals are team that features phenomenal power up and down the lineup. The headline grabber, of course, is Bryce Harper, who’s having a sterling season.
A bird in the hand is worth two in the Busch. pic.twitter.com/JKpmPLogFs
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) July 3, 2017
Harper’s 20 home runs lead a team that’s hit 123 homers in 82 games. That’s just off the pace of the 2000 Astros, who hold the National League record with 249.
So, why are we so confident? As good as Harper is, he’s only one man. Besides, teams can just pitch around him, right? Well, they can, but would be doing so at their own risk.
Harper is one of only five Washington players with 10 or more home runs. Ryan Zimmerman has 19 home runs in what’s been a dream revival season. Anthony Rendon has 16 bombs, while Daniel Murphy and Michael Taylor have 14 and 11, respectively.
It’s just not a lineup that offers many breaks. These are not guys that pitchers want to face with men on base, so pitchers really have no option but to challenge.
The Nats may not be terribly well equipped to go on a long playoff run. Their bullpen is shaky, and as we’ve detailed, the National League is strong. But look for Washington to make its own place in MLB history by becoming the first NL team to hit 250 or more home runs.