If you are a Washington Nationals fan and can extrapolate that fandom to players who once wore the curly “W” but are now playing for other teams, you have some options to root for in the baseball playoffs. The New York Yankees have Luis Ayala, who pitched for the team for five seasons, three of them in Washington. He was an important part of that wonderful inaugural 2005 squad, going 8-7 with a 2.66 ERA out of the bullpen, but his remaining years were injury-plagued.
The Philadelphia Phillies have Brian Schneider as their backup catcher. Schneider played eight seasons with the team — three in Washington — and also was a key figure on that 2005 team and one of the franchise’s most popular players during his time in a Nationals uniform.
Then there is Endy Chavez, who once seemed as if he would be the Nationals’ leadoff hitter going into the 2005 season. The outfielder spent four years with the team but just seven games in a Nationals uniform. Still, he has gone on to have a solid 10-year major league career and batted .301 in 83 games for the Texas Rangers this year.
The jackpot, though, for ex-Nationals in the postseason is the Milwaukee Brewers, who were led to the playoffs by former Nats center fielder Nyjer Morgan. Morgan was a fan favorite when he arrived in Washington from Pittsburgh in the middle of the 2009 season but fought, talked and played his way out of favor in 2010.
Then there’s Jerry Hairston Jr., a Nationals infielder/outfielder for just 75 games this year before he was sent to Milwaukee at the trade deadline for a minor leaguer.
The third Nationals player in Milwaukee is reliever Marco Estrada, who appeared in 15 forgettable games for Washington in 2008 and 2009 but was part of the Brewers’ bullpen this season, posting a 4.08 ERA in 43 games.
Much has been made over the years of the ex-Cubs factor on a baseball roster, the notion being that the more former Cubs you have, the less likely your team will enjoy postseason success. The “Curse of the Billy Goat” apparently is contagious.
There has been no such vibe about an ex-Nationals curse, other than the logical conclusion that if you have a significant amount of players from the Nationals on your roster, you must not be very good.
There has been just one player who wore a Nationals uniform and then left to win a World Series championship — backup catcher Gary Bennett, who played in 68 games for Washington in 2005, batting .221.
He signed with the St. Louis Cardinals the following year and was part of the World Series winning team in 2006. But the success of ex-Nationals in the playoffs ends there.
The Brewers — with three former Nationals — could make a big leap forward for the Washington National alumni association.
Examiner columnist Thom Loverro is the co-host of “The Sports Fix” from noon to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday on ESPN980 and espn980.com. Contact him at [email protected].
