A look at ‘Mr. National’ through the years

Hold up … you’re telling us that Zimmerman wasn’t named Rookie of the Year in 2006? Nope — he was a few votes shy of then-Florida Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez. But at just 21 years old, the first-ever player drafted by the franchise proved he was a rising star in the league.

Zimmerman was just entering his prime when he was voted onto the National League’s All-Star team in 2009, a year in which he was also awarded his first Golden Glove and Silver Slugger awards.

Mr. National meet Mr. President. Zimmerman had the honor of catching President Barack Obama’s first pitch at Nationals Park on Opening Day 2010. Let’s hope he reminded the president to wear the right hat next time.

Zimmerman had a knack for meeting the moment — no matter how big it was. The now two-time Silver Slugger had his fair share of walk-off homers, such as this game-sealing grand slam in an 8-4 win over Philadelphia Phillies in August 2011. Clearly former teammates Michael Morse, left, and Jayson Werth, right, were happy with him.

Ahead of the 2012 season, Zimmerman signed a six-year extension with the Nats. That ensured he would be a locker room leader for the Nationals’ new prospects like Stephen Strasburg, Anthony Rendon and Bryce Harper (pictured here). Zimmerman helped balanced out a roster of older and younger players, who elevated the Nats’ dream of a World Series championship seem all the more real in Washington.

The journey to that first World Series title wouldn’t be without its share of heartbreak. It all started with a 3-2 loss to St. Louis Cardinals in the 2012 National League Division Series. Unbeknownst to all Nats fans at the time, postseason catastrophes were going to become a running theme for the franchise.

Zimmerman was a different player entering his 30s. His 2014 and 2015 seasons were cut short due to injury, and his arm didn’t have the same zip it used to, prompting a move from third to first base. But Zimmerman returned to form, and by the 2017 season, he had been voted to his second (and final) All-Star game. Big moments still never seemed too big for the veteran, who belted a three-run shot against the Chicago Cubs in Game 2 of the NLDS (pictured here). Unfortunately, the postseason flameouts soiled the 2016 and 2017 seasons, making it the fourth time that the Nats couldn’t advance to the next round come October.

The World Series window looked to be slammed shut heading into the 2019 season. Bryce Harper left for greener pastures in Philadelphia, forcing unproven prospects to fill in the gaps (who the heck is Juan Soto?) By late May, the team was a dismal 19-31. But then things started to change, and the Nats went on a tear to clinch a Wild Card spot in the postseason. They beat the Milwaukee Brewers in that game (thank you Soto!) then took down the favored Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS and swept the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Championship Series, earning the franchise’s first World Series berth in nearly a century.

Zimmerman wasn’t just along for the ride during the World Series run. He launched a homer in his first ever World Series at bat and set the tone for Nats’ road warrior ways against the Houston Astros. Neither team won a home game in an unusual Best-of-7 series. Luckily, the Nats had to play four road games, because …

… The Nats won the World Series! Mr. National himself was grinning ear-to-ear when he took the podium for the team’s parade back in D.C. just days after they “Finished the Fight” in Houston with a 7-2 series clinching victory. For all the pain that October had brought on the franchise, it only made this moment even sweeter.

Zimmerman had one final ride in him for 2021 after he opted out of the abbreviated 2020 season due to COVID-19. It was suspected that Zimmerman would hang it up by the end of 2021, and a tearful farewell at Nationals Park in their final home game seemed to indicate just that. Mr. National would make his retirement official on Tuesday, ending a storied career with the only franchise he ever knew.