2010 Washington Nationals season

The Washington Nationals' 2010 season was the sixth season for the American baseball franchise of Major League Baseball in the District of Columbia, and the 42nd since the original team was started in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It involved the Nationals attempting to win the National League East after a 59–103 season the year before – the worst record of any MLB team in 2009. Jim Riggleman was kept as full-time manager after being instituted on July 12, 2009 after Manny Acta's firing.

Highlights from the season include Stephen Strasburg's 14-strikeout Major League debut on June 8 against the Pittsburgh Pirates and a bench-clearing brawl on September 1 at the Florida Marlins.

The Nationals finished 2010 in last place in the NL East for the third year in a row with a 69–93 record, though they did have a ten-game improvement from 2009. They had a 41–40 record at home, their first winning home record since 2006.

Third baseman Ryan Zimmerman won the Silver Slugger Award for the second straight year as the best offensive third baseman in the National League.

As the Texas Rangers won their first pennant that season, the Nationals became one of only two teams to have never played in the World Series, along with the Seattle Mariners

Offseason
On December 7, 2009, the Nationals traded a player to be named later to the New York Yankees for Brian Bruney; they sent Jamie Hoffman to the Yankees on December 10, 2009, to complete the trade.

Spring training
The Nationals held their 2010 spring training in Viera, Florida, with home games played at Space Coast Stadium.

Notable transactions

 * May 24, 2010: The Nationals sent Andrew Brown to the St. Louis Cardinals as part of a conditional deal.
 * July 29, 2010: The Nationals traded Matt Capps to the Minnesota Twins for Wilson Ramos and minor-leaguer Joe Testa.
 * July 30, 2010: The Nationals traded Cristian Guzmán to the Texas Rangers for Tanner Roark and minor-leaguer Ryan Tatusko.
 * August 7, 2010: The Nationals purchased Brian Bixler from the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Draft
The 2010 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft took place from June 7 to June 9. With their first pick – the first pick overall – the Nationals selected outfielder Bryce Harper. Other notable players the Nationals selected were pitcher Sammy Solis (second round, 51st overall), pitcher A. J. Cole (fourth round, 116th overall), pitcher Matt Grace (eighth round, 236th overall), pitcher Aaron Barrett (ninth round, 266th overall), and pitcher Robbie Ray (12th round, 356th overall).

Attendance
The Nationals drew 1,828,066 fans at Nationals Park in 2010, a slight improvement over their 2009 attendance. However, it placed them 14th in attendance for the season among the 16 National League teams, down from 13th the previous year. Their highest attendance at a home game was on April 5, when they drew 41,290 for a game against the Philadelphia Phillies on Opening Day, while their lowest was 10,999 for a game against the Houston Astros on September 20. Their average home attendance was 22,569 per game, their lowest since arriving in Washington in 2005.

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
Table is sortable.

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

 * Matt Capps, P

Annual awards

 * Silver Slugger: Ryan Zimmerman, 3B

Ryan Zimmermann won the Silver Slugger Award for the second consecutive year, becoming the first Washington Nationals player to win two Silver Slugger Awards.

Farm system
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Potomac