House That Hank Built
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How Atlanta Braves position players stack up in the East: 1st base

By Alan Carpenter

ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 16: Freddie Freeman #5 of the Atlanta Braves chats with Ryan Zimmerman of the Washington Nationals at first base at SunTrust Park on September 16, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia.(Photo by Kelly Kline/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 16: Freddie Freeman #5 of the Atlanta Braves chats with Ryan Zimmerman of the Washington Nationals at first base at SunTrust Park on September 16, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia.(Photo by Kelly Kline/Getty Images) /
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PHILADELPHIA, PA – SEPTEMBER 12: Ryan Zimmerman #11 of the Washington Nationals high fives his teammates in the dugout after hitting a solo home run in the top of the fourth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on September 12, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – SEPTEMBER 12: Ryan Zimmerman #11 of the Washington Nationals high fives his teammates in the dugout after hitting a solo home run in the top of the fourth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on September 12, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

#4:  Washington Nationals

RYAN ZIMMERMAN / MATT ADAMS

I did not expect this tandem to rank this low (it’s very close), but it’s a result of improvements elsewhere with age continuing to creep up on the first guy on the depth chart.

Ryan Zimmerman may have several problems in his quest to bounce back this year… though he could also get a bonus as well:

  • He will be 34½ when the season opens
  • His last years of WAR production (starting in 2013) are 2.8, 1.1, 0.8, -1.4, 3.3, 1.4.
  • Without Harper and Murphy, he has a lot less protection in the lineup (though Rendon and the catchers will be around him).
  • He’s probably the worst defensive 1st baseman in the league, let alone the division

FACT CHECK:  True.  Over the past 5 seasons, he’s 4th from worst in his (cumulative) defensive rating, but managed to pull that off in only half of the innings from those below him.  Ryan Howard would have been worse, but he retired.

The bonus?  He’s going to have a lot of ‘distractors’ on the bases ahead of him in the lineup:  Trea Turner, Adam Eaton, Victor Robles, and Juan Soto.

Anectocal rumblings coming from Washington is that they might unleash their speed this season, which could serve to benefit the run producers like Zimmerman and Anthony Rendon.

Still, you’ve got to actually ‘hit’ to make that happen and Zimmerman has been all over the map there:  everything from a .218 year to .303 in the last 5 years… and almost everything between, too.

Matt Adams will get his innings, too, but many of his ABs will come in a pinch hitting role, and that’s not part of the first base projection.  Honestly, if the NL already had a designated hitter slot, he would be in high demand:  he can still hit and hit for power… he just has no business in wearing a glove.

So… what do we do here?  I am inclined to pencil Zimmerman in for a 1.5 year with Adams at 0.5… a total of 2.0.

While I have them at 4th in this ranking, I will also add this caveat:  I would not be surprised if they were to end up near 3.0, which could certainly jump them over… the Mets.

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