The Z-Man Returns To Washington

Today is a wonderful day in NatsTown. The sun is shining; the breeze is light; the humidity is low; the temperature is perfect. But all that has nothing to do with what makes today so wonderful. Finally, after nearly 2 long months, Ryan Zimmerman will return to the Washington Nationals lineup tonight.

I don't know about all of you, but I'm about as excited for Zimm's return as I possibly could be. Having good old #11 in the lineup just makes everything feel better. We all know Ryan Zimmerman's value to the Nats, but just in case, let's recap.

Ryan's career batting average is .289 with a cool .356 OBP, and has a .485 SLG. In the 8 games he appeared in this season, he's sporting a .357/.486/.536 slash line. And all of that was done while nursing the injury that eventually required surgery.

I planned on going into a deep philosophical discussion on why Ryan Zimmerman is the most underrated player in baseball, but Dave Cameron over at Fangraphs.com did a much better job than I could ever do. So in celebration of Ryan Zimmerman Day, please read this fantastic article, "The Criminally Underrated Ryan Zimmerman."