All Nationals/Expos team, position players

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Remember the Montreal Expos? If there was ever a baseball team that couldn't catch a break, it was them. The residue of a pretty good roster is found on this Washington Nationals team. The Nats have their own tales of broken dreams. Merging the Expos and Nats brings together an impressive array of talent. Sort of like the Brady Bunch of baseball. And here we go.

Catcher: Gary Carter One of the easiest choices of this lineup. Carter was one of the most complete catchers in baseball in the last fifty or so years. Gary spent 12 seasons with the Expos and amassed a WAR of 55.6. Carter got it done on both offense and defense. Carter was a seven time all star with the Expos and the winner of and the winner of three gold gloves. In 1984, Gary's last season with the Expos, he led the NL in RBIs with 106. Carter had six seasons with 20 or more homers, maxing out at 31 in 1977. From 1977-84, the lowest WAR Gary recorded was 3.8 in the strike shortened 1981 season. His best season in that category was 1982, when his WAR was 8.6. In all, Gary had five seasons with a WAR of 5.4 or while in Montreal. Hall of famer, Gary Carter, is the foundation of this team.

First base: Ryan Zimmerman The Nats/Expos roster gets complicated. Ryan Zimmerman had most of his value as a third baseman, but since he stills swings a decent bat, and I'm not overwhelmed with options, Zimmerman gets the call here. Ryan hit 36 home runs and drove in 108 runs, while putting up an OPS of .930 in 2017. He was a member of the 2017 NL all star team. He also made the all star team in 2009 as a third baseman. Ryan has spent all or part of 13 seasons with the Nationals and has a WAR of 36.5. Andres Galarraga and Adam LaRoche each put up some decent numbers while with the Montreal/Washington franchise, but nothing that jumps out at you.

Second base: Jose Vidro Doubles machine, Daniel Murphy and his .900+ OPS will probably be the call in another season or two. In the meantime, Jose Vidro is the selection. Vidro played in both Montreal and Washington. Jose spent 10 seasons with the franchise and had a WAR of 16.2. In that time frame, Jose had some nice seasons. In 2002, Jose had a WAR of 5.3. Jose hit .315 that year, with an OPS of .868. Jose had his best season with the bat in 2000. That season, Vidro hit a career high 24 home runs and had an OPS of .918. He also had 51 doubles. At his peak, Vidro had a good glove combined with a potent bat. Jose was a three time all star.

Shortstop: Ian Desmond Desmond supplied a power bat from the shortstop position while with the Nationals. From 2012-14 Ian's WAR totals were 3.4-3.6-3.9. He averaged 23 home runs in that time frame. Desmond also averaged 22 stolen base per season during that three year span. In addition, he also had fairly solid defensive metrics. Trea Turner has the potential to take this slot in a couple of seasons. Orlando Cabrera deserves a mention based on a nice run in through the early 2000s. Orlando had a decent bat, a little pop and a good glove while with the Expos.

Third base: Tim Wallach I really thought Anthony Rendon was going to be the choice here, but I took another look at Wallach's numbers and went with him. In a few years I suspect Rendon will be the choice, but for now, it's Wallach. In 13 seasons with the Expos, Tim had a WAR of 4.1 or more six times. His high water mark was 1985 when he had a WAR of 6.1. Wallach had decent power, hitting a career high of 28 home runs in 1982. Tim led the NL in doubles in both 1987 and 1989. Tim stroked 43 doubles in each of those seasons. Wallach derived a lot of value from his glove. Wallach was the recipient of three gold gloves while in Montreal.

Left field : Tim Raines Sr. I'm not sure the Sr. was necessary, but I put it in anyway. Ricky Henderson may have been the best leadoff man in baseball since 1965, but but Rock Raines was a close second. In all, Tim spent 13 seasons with the Expos and had a WAR of 48.9. Raines was an eight time all star in Montreal. Raines led the NL in stolen bases from 1981-84. His career high was in 1983 when he stole 90 bases. For his time in Montreal, Raines stole a total of 635 bases. Raines OBP was a very healthy .391 with the Expos. Raines had enough power to keep pitchers honest. Tim's career high in homers was 1987, when he socked 18 round trippers.

Center field: Andre Dawson Before Hawk was a power hitting right fielder with a cannon of an arm for the Cubs, he was a five tool center fielder for the Expos. In 11 seasons with the Expos, Andre put up a WAR of 48.1. From 1980-83, Dawson's WARs were 6.9-7.4-7.9-6.8. Dawson stole 253 bases while in Montreal and slugged 225 home runs. Andre's OBP wasn't overwhelming at .326, but his slugging percentage was a healthy .476. Dawson was the 1977 NL Rookie of the Year and a three time all star with the Expos. Marquis Grissom also had a three year run for the Expos with seasons with a WAR of over 5.0 from 1992-94. Ellis Valentine gets mention by virtue of few nice seasons in Montreal.

Right field : Valdimir Guerrero Bryce Harper may well soon sign the biggest contract in baseball history, but for now the choice for the right fielder for the Nationals/Expos right fielder is Vladimir Guerrero. Harper has had two mega seasons in four years with the Nats, but Guerrero put up comparable numbers for eight seasons. Guerrero's OPS with the Expos was .978 while Harper's OPS for four seasons sits at 902. Guerrero's batting average while with the Expos was a robust .323. Vladimir was a four time all star and recorded WAR of 34.6 while in Montreal. Larry Walker was also a better than fair right fielder with the Expos for 5+ seasons.

And there's my Nationals/Expos team. They had perhaps the best assortment of outfielders of any team I've put together. Do you agree? Disagree? Let me know.