Righty reliever Chad Cordero was one of the best closer’s in Nationals/Expos’ history despite having the job for only a short time. His best year with the Nationals was in 2005 (the first year the team was in Washington). Cordero pitched in 74 games (0 starts) for the Nationals in 2005 and he was 2-4 with 47 saves (led the majors), a 1.82 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP. Cordero made it to the All-Star team in 2005 and he also finished 5th in the voting for the Cy Young Award and 14th for the MVP Award in the N.L. Cordero pitched in 305 games (0 starts) in his six years with the Nationals/Expos and he was 20-14 with 128 saves, a 2.78 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. Cordero is #2 in Nationals/Expos’ history with 128 saves and he is also #6 in games pitched with 305 of them.

Righty closer Jeff Reardon had a solid career with the Montreal Expos. His best season with them came back in 1985. Reardon pitched in 63 games (0 starts) for the Expos that year and he was 2-8 with 41 saves (led the majors), a 3.18 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP. He was an All-Star in 1985 and he finished in 7th place in the voting for the Cy Young Award. Reardon pitched in 359 games (0 starts) in his six years with the Expos and he was 32-37 with 152 saves, a 2.84 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP. Reardon is the all-time leader in saves for the Nationals/Expos.

Outfielder Tim Raines might have never played for the Washington Nationals, but he’s all over the franchise record books from his time with the Montreal Expos. Raines got 218 votes for Baseball’s Hall of Fame (37.5%) last year and he might eventually get in down the road. Raines had his best season with the Expos back in 1983. In 1983, Raines played in 156 games in which he was 183 of 615 (.298 avg, .822 OPS) with 133 runs scored, 11 homers, 71 RBIs and 90 stolen bases. He also walked 97 times while only walking 70 times as he showed off excellent plate discipline. He made the All-Star team in 1983 and he also finished 5th in the voting for the MVP Award. From 1981-1984, Raines led the National League in steals every year. He also led the majors in steals twice in that 4-year window. Raines played in 1,452 games in his 13 years with the Expos and he was 1,622 of 5,383 (.301 avg, .829 OPS) with 947 runs scored, 96 homers, 556 RBIs and 635 stolen bases. Raines is 3rd in games played for the Expos/Nationals’ history. He is also #2 in hits (1,622), #2 in batting average (.301), #7 in OPS (.829), #1 in runs scored (947), #4 in doubles (281), #1 in triples (82), #5 in RBIs (556), #1 in stolen bases (635) and #1 in walks (793) in Nationals/Expos’ franchise history. Raines made 7 All-Star Teams and he won 1 Silver Slugger Award in his 13 years with the Expos.

Righty swinging catcher Gary Carter never played for the Nationals but he’s in the Hall of Fame (elected in 2003) as a Montreal Expo. In Carter’s 12 seasons with the Expos he was a All-Star 7 times, he won 3 Gold Gloves and 3 Silver Slugger Awards. Carter played in 1,503 games for the Expos in which he was 1,427 of 5,303 (.269 avg, .796 OPS) with 707 runs scored, 220 homers, 823 RBIs and 34 stolen bases. Carter is #2 all-time in Expos/Nationals’ history in games played with 1,503. He is also #4 in hits (1,427), #4 in runs scored (707), #3 in homers (220), #3 in RBIs (827), #5 in doubles (274), tied for 9th with Larry Parrish with 24 triples and he is #2 in walks (582) in team history. It might be a long time before the Nationals have another catcher like Gary Carter.

Righty starting pitcher Steve Rogers spent 13 season pitching for the Expos in which he made the All-Star team five times. Rogers pitched in 399 games (393 starts) for the Expos and he was 158-152, with 2 saves, a 3.17 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. 1982 was Rogers’ best season for the Expos as he was second in the Cy Young voting. Rogers pitched in 35 games (all starts) for the Expos in 1982 and he was 19-8 with a 2.40 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP. Rogers is all over the franchise’s record books. He is the Expos/Nationals all-time leader in game started (393), wins (158), complete games (129), shutouts (37), strikeouts (1,621) and innings pitched (2,837 2/3). Rogers is also #2 all-time in Expos/Nationals history in games pitched (399), #8 in ERA (3.17) and #10 in WHIP (1.23). While most of the fans of the Nationals never saw Rogers I did and let me assure you that he was even better than his numbers show.