New Arrival: Ryan Zimmerman, 3b, Washington Nationals

This is one of several autographs that I just purchased from a collector who is selling off their collection.

• Ryan Zimmerman was the 4th overall pick of the 2005 draft, taken by the Washington Nationals out of the University of Virginia.
• Zimmerman hit .336/.377/.564 with 11 HR between A and AA-ball in 2005 and would end the season in the big leagues. 
• In 58 at-bats with the Nationals, he would hit .397/.419/.569. That is insane. Dude started the season in college and ended it in the big leagues hitting almost .400. He would place 2nd in ROY voting.
• Since then Zimmerman has been one of the most consistent players in the National League.
• 13 years in the big leagues–all with the Nationals–he has a line of .280/.344/.476 with 251 HR. Good for an OPS+ of 117 and 36.5 WAR.
• He has been selected to only two All-Star games, though he also has one Gold Glove and two Silver Sluggers.
• He has a rough 2016, only hitting .216 with 15 HR. At 31 it was possible that age was catching up to him. But…
• In 2017 he has one of the best seasons of his career. He hit .303/.358/.573 with a career-high 36 HR and was selected to his second All-Star team.
• He was also selected the 2017 National League NL Comeback Player of the Year.
• I really appreciate the career that he has had, and it would be really nice to see the Nationals make a deep playoff run while he is still on the roster. He has earned the right to see some games in late-October.