The Washington Nationals finished the 2016 season with 95 wins and a third National League East division championship in five years.
Behind the relaxed hand of first-year skipper Dusty Baker, the Nats nearly went wire-to-wire. By season’s end, they bested the New York Mets by a healthy eight games.
Although injuries played a bigger role than anyone hoped, shutting Wilson Ramos down with a knee injury for example, Washington was never seriously challenged. If you thought they could survive an off year by Bryce Harper and an inconsistent Jonathan Papelbon, then you saw the emergence of Trea Turner and Joe Ross into big roles.