2006 Washington Nationals season

The 2006 Washington Nationals season was the franchise's second season in Washington, D.C., and 38th season overall.

The Nationals finished last in the National League East for the third consecutive year (counting their final season in Montreal), 26 games behind the New York Mets with a 71–91 record.

Offseason

 * On November 4, 2005, the Nationals traded Vinny Castilla to the San Diego Padres for Brian Lawrence.
 * On December 8, 2005, they traded Brad Wilkerson, Terrmel Sledge, and minor leaguer Armando Galarraga to the Texas Rangers for Alfonso Soriano.
 * On December 24, 2005, they signed Mike Stanton – who they had traded to the Boston Red Sox late in the previous season – as a free agent.
 * On February 11, 2006, the Nationals sold Jamey Carroll to the Colorado Rockies for $300,000,
 * On March 31, 2006, they sold Jim Crowell to the Philadelphia Phillies.

Advertising and marketing
The Nationals' marketing slogan for the season was "Make It Your Pastime." The slogan was a reference to the common saying that baseball is "the national pastime" in the United States.

Spring training
The Nationals held their 2006 spring training in Viera, Florida, with home games played at Space Coast Stadium.

Groundbreaking for Nationals Park
On May 4, 2006, the groundbreaking ceremony took place for the Nationals' new ballpark, Nationals Park in Southeast Washington, D.C. Principal Owner Mark D. Lerner, Managing Principal Owner Theodore N. Lerner, Principal Owner Robert K. Tanenbaum, and Principal Owner Edward L. Cohen wielded the shovels at the ceremony; public address announcer Charlie Brotman emceed the event, and Mayor of the District of Columbia Anthony A. Williams, Nationals Manager Frank Robinson, representatives from Major League Baseball, the District of Columbia Sports and Entertainment Commission, the Anacostia Waterfront Corporation, and Clark-Hunt-Smoot Construction, and former Washington Senators and Homestead Grays players also attended. Less than two years later, the Nationals moved to Nationals Park for the 2008 season.

Beltway Series
During spring training in 2006, the Nationals and Orioles played each other in Washington on March 31 and in Baltimore on April 1. The first match-up of the regular-season Beltway Series rivalry took place on May 19, 2006, at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium; the Orioles won. This marked first time in 35 years that the Orioles played a regular-season game in Washington; previously, they had played the original Washington Senators of the American League annually from 1954 to 1960 and the expansion Washington Senators – which replaced the original Senators – each year from 1961 to 1971.

The two teams split the 2006 season series 3-3 with each team winning two games at home and one on the road.

Alfonso Soriano joins the 40–40 club
On September 16, Soriano stole second base in the first inning to become the fourth player to join the 40–40 club, after Jose Canseco, Barry Bonds, and Alex Rodriguez.

Notable transactions

 * July 13, 2006: The Nationals traded Gary Majewski, Royce Clayton, Bill Bray, Brendan Harris, and minor-leaguer Daryl Thompson to the Cincinnati Reds for Felipe López. Austin Kearns, and Ryan Wagner.
 * July 28, 2006: The Nationals traded Mike Stanton to the San Francisco Giants for minor-leaguer Shairon Martis.
 * August 7, 2006: The Nationals traded Liván Hernández and cash to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Matt Chico and Garrett Mock.
 * August 31, 2006: The Nationals traded Daryle Ward to the Atlanta Braves for minor-leaguer Luis Atilano and Marlon Anderson to the Los Angeles Dodgers for minor-leaguer Jhonny Núñez.
 * September 1, 2006: The Nationals received Nook Logan from the Detroit Tigers as part of a conditional deal.

Draft
The 2006 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft took place on June 6 and 7. With their first pick – the 15th pick overall – the Nationals selected outfielder Chris Marrero. Other notable players the Nationals selected were pitcher Cole Kimball (12th round, 361st overall), pitcher Sam Dyson (19th round, 571st overall), outfielder Khris Davis (29th round, 871st overall), first baseman Tyler Moore (33rd round, 991st overall), and pitcher Brad Peacock (41st round, 1,231st overall). The Nationals had drafted Moore in 2005, but he had not signed, and he did not sign again this year. Dyson and Davis also did not sign with the Nationals.

Attendance
The Nationals drew 2,153,056 fans at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium in 2006, placing them 11th in attendance for the season among the 16 National League teams.

Batting
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs scored; H = Hits; 2B = Doubles; 3B = Triples; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; AVG = Batting average; SB = Stolen bases

Complete offensive statistics are available here.

Pitching
Note: Pos = Position; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; SV = Saves; IP = Innings pitched; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; BB = Walks allowed; K = Strikeouts

Complete pitching statistics are available here.

Team leaders
Qualifying players only.

All-Stars

 * Alfonso Soriano, OF

Annual awards

 * Silver Slugger: Alfonso Soriano, OF