Ryan Zimmerman: One Reason to Watch the Nationals

This season has not been a pretty one for the Washington Nationals.

Losers of 10 of their first 11 games, they currently hold the worst record in either league. Last month, on consecutive days, they held leads against the Florida Marlins, only to see the Marlins tie the game on home runs and then win in extra innings.

Luck would not seem to be on their side.

While Nationals fans are no doubt frustrated with their team's misfortunes, they can feel honored to have one of baseball's young budding superstars: Ryan Zimmerman.

During Sunday's 10-8 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks, Zimmerman singled up the middle in the first inning off Max Scherzer to extend his major league-leading hitting streak to 28 games, halfway to Joe Dimaggio's record of 56 games.

This season, he's batting .336 with six home runs and 21 RBIs.

For his career: .286, 64 home runs, and 280 RBIs in five seasons.

Teaming up with Adam Dunn, Austin Kearns, Josh Willingham, and Elijah Dukes, Zimmerman forms the core of what figures to be a powerful lineup in the future.

But if you're waiting for that future, you're missing out!

Zimmerman's accomplishment will be one of the few bright spots for the Nationals this year. Everyone should take the opportunity to see what this great young hitter is offering to the game, regardless of the team's result.

Otherwise, you might be surprised when he becomes a household name in a few years.