2011 Washington Nationals season


The Washington Nationals' 2011 season was the seventh season for the American baseball franchise of Major League Baseball in the District of Columbia and the 43rd since the original team was started in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It involved the Nationals attempting to win the National League East Division after a 69-93 season the year before.
On June 23, 2011, manager Jim Riggleman resigned after contract disputes with general manager Mike Rizzo. Riggleman resigned following a 1-0 win over the Seattle Mariners which put the Nationals over.500 at the latest point in a season since 2005 and gave them their 11th win in 12 games. Riggleman compiled a 140-172 record with the Nationals after he replaced Manny Acta after the all-star break in 2009. On June 24, Davey Johnson was named the new manager. Previously, he was a senior advisor to Mike Rizzo. He began managing on June 27. Bench coach John McLaren managed the club for three games following Riggleman's resignation before Johnson was decided upon as interim manager.
The Nationals finished the 2011 season in third place in the NL East with an 80-81 record, playing only 161 games because one game against the Los Angeles Dodgers was canceled due to rain. Their third-place finish was their best finish in the standings and second-best win-loss record since they moved to Washington.

Offseason

The Nationals formed a new minor league affiliation with the Auburn Doubledays of the New York–Penn League during the winter. The player development contract was officially announced December 14, 2010.
On December 16, 2010, the Nationals traded Josh Willingham to the Oakland Athletics for Corey Brown and Henry Rodríguez. On January 19, 2011, they traded minor-leaguers Michael Burgess, Graham Hicks, and A. J. Morris to the Chicago Cubs for Tom Gorzelanny. On February 2, 2011, they traded Justin Maxwell to the New York Yankees for minor-leaguer for Adam Olbrychowski. On March 27, 2011, they traded Nyjer Morgan to the Milwaukee Brewers for minor-leaguer Cutter Dykstra and cash, and the following day they traded Alberto González to the San Diego Padres for Erik Davis.

Advertising and marketing

The Nationals′ marketing slogan for 2011 was "Expect It." According to a letter to season ticket holders signed by Nationals Chief Operating Officer Andrew Feffer explained that the slogan let Nationals fans know that the team′s rebuilding strategy "is beginning to show returns," and that "we are determined to continue to do what it takes to elevate the franchise to the next level." The letter added that "in 2010, we had a productive stable of veterans and stars in the lineup," that "we now have a solid and exciting pipeline of pitchers," and that the franchise′s "improved Minor League system is now regularly producing a steady stream of Major League talent."

New Radio Flagship

Starting with this season, the Nationals changed their flagship station to WJFK-FM, after broadcasting their first six seasons on WTOP 104.1 FM.

Spring training

The Nationals held their 2011 spring training in Viera, Florida, with home games played at Space Coast Stadium.

Regular season

Season standings

National League East

Record vs. opponents

Opening Day lineup

Notable transactions

The 2011 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft took place from June 6 to June 8. With their first pick - the sixth pick overall - the Nationals selected third baseman Anthony Rendon. Other notable players the Nationals selected were pitcher Alex Meyer, pitcher Taylor Hill, and outfielder Billy Burns.

Roster

Attendance

The Nationals drew 1,940,478 fans at Nationals Park in 2011, improving over the previous season for the second straight year. It placed them 14th in attendance for the season among the 16 National League teams, also for the second consecutive year. Their highest attendance at a home game was on August 20, when they drew 44,685 for a game against the Philadelphia Phillies, while their lowest was 13,413 for a game against the Phillies on April 12. Their average home attendance was 24,256 per game, fifth-highest of their seven seasons in Washington but an increase from their previous season.

Game log

Player stats

Batting

Table is sortable.
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 .
PosPlayerGABRH2B3BHRRBIAVGSB
C113389481042211552.2670
1B146522731583603195.3032
2B158573721352952166.23617
SS15458465148275849.25325
3B101395521142121249.2891
LF12432438811511644.2502
CF1223804691200937.23910
RF150561691302612058.23219
OF913094075122727.24317
3B752132557111424.2682
1B43151152640315.1721
IF9115612356106.2242
C44124142770219.2180
1B3110962750010.2480
LF4393111941312.2042
UT79839171202.2054
C30865186012.2530
UT56654101002.1540
IF1331361001.1940
PH33000000.0000
P3357350015.0880
P31463101007.2170
P2943191003.2090
P2542381003.1900
P3028230001.1070
P1519020001.1050
P1119010001.0530
P56110013.1670
P108000000.0000
P56100000.0000
P234000000.0000
P34000000.0000
P722000000.0000
P121100000.0000
P6911100001.0000
P592000000.0000
P72110000.5000
P60000000-0
P690000000-0
P310000000-0
P730000000-0
P350000000-0
P100000000-0
P110000000-0
Totals1615441624131925722154594.24238

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
PosPlayerWLERAGGSSVIPRERBBK
SP10133.7033330184.2907676106
SP8134.4729290175.198874699
SP8113.1826260161.1625731124
SP853.9520200120.258533971
SP434.041111062.135281325
CL632.757304375.124232074
RP301.837202688.1181826104
RP333.56590265.230264570
RP513.62690059.225242046
RP553.81690456.224242133
464.0330150105.050473395
453.001510066.026222041
144.54230035.221181434
115.23105032.219191015
222.81350032.011101512
SP103.8155026.01111415
SP111.5055024.054224
024.41310016.11018913
101.93120014.0331111
016.57110012.19934
200.7532012.01164
110.8770010.111412
116.4810008.1106810
103.866004.22217
Totals80813.58161161491449.16435774771049

Team leaders

Qualifying players only.

Batting

StatPlayerTotal
Avg.Michael Morse.303
HRMichael Morse31
RBIMichael Morse95
RMichael Morse73
HMichael Morse158
SBIan Desmond25

Pitching

StatPlayerTotal
WJohn Lannan10
LLiván Hernández
John Lannan		13
13
ERAJohn Lannan3.70
SOJordan Zimmermann124
SVDrew Storen43
IPJohn Lannan184.2

Awards and honors

All-Stars

Clippard threw three pitches in the 2011 Major League Baseball All-Star Game and was its winning pitcher.

Farm system