'You can call us old. That's fine. We don't care'

WASHINGTON -- It was the 14th anniversary of Ryan Zimmerman’s Major League debut, and it was time to dance in the dugout.

Dancing isn’t really his thing, but Zimmerman had just hit his first home run since returning from the injured list, brought back to the big leagues on Sept. 1 like a September callup once again. So, the Nationals’ first baseman decided to break out “The Walker” in the dugout, and his teammates went crazy.

Game	Date	Result	Highlights
Gm 1	Oct. 22	WSH 5, HOU 4	Watch
Gm 2	Oct. 23	WSH 12, HOU 3	Watch
Gm 3	Oct. 25	HOU 4, WSH 1	Watch
Gm 4	Oct. 26	HOU 8, WSH 1	Watch
Gm 5	Oct. 27	HOU 7, WSH 1	Watch
Gm 6	Oct. 29	WSH 7, HOU 2	Watch
Gm 7	Oct. 30	WSH 6, HOU 2	Watch

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The dance was a nod to his status as one of the elder statesman, even on the oldest roster in baseball. The Nationals’ viejos are going to the World Series, and they believe their experience is one of the biggest reasons why. What began as a joke from 22-year old center fielder Victor Robles, who referred to some of his veteran teammates as viejos -- the Spanish word for “old men” -- became something the Nationals' players have embraced.

And in the aftermath of the Nationals wrapping up the National League pennant with a sweep of the Cardinals, it became a rallying cry. Washington led baseball with an average age of 31.1 years.

“You can call us old. That’s fine. We don’t care,” said catcher Kurt Suzuki, who turned 36 during the National League Division Series against the Dodgers this month. “We feel like we can still contribute and we can still play at a high level. That’s the only thing that matters.”

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This Nationals’ roster includes a large group of veterans.

Fernando Rodney, the oldest player in the Majors and the only active player born in the 1970s, is 42. Zimmerman, Max Scherzer and Aníbal Sánchez are each 35. Howie Kendrick, named MVP of the NL Championship Series, turned 36 this season. Add Suzuki to that mix, and, even on a team with the electric Robles and phenom Juan Soto, the Nationals lean on their veterans, perhaps more than any team in the league.

“We knew we were the oldest team in the league, and everybody said that's a negative,” Scherzer said. “And we just tried to flip that and made it a positive. Because we know how good of baseball that we can still play, all of us, even the old guys.”

Of course, no matter the age of the players, they have to be able to produce on the field. That’s what makes the Nationals work. They do not produce because they are veterans -- they have veterans who are still productive, even on the back end of their careers.

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Kendrick posted 2.9 wins above replacement in a career year at the plate. Scherzer is still one of the best pitchers in baseball. Sánchez reinvented himself late in his career. Rodney pitched key relief innings. Even though Suzuki and Zimmerman are no longer everyday players, the Nats have found ways to utilize their bats to get production from them down the stretch.

The Nats see trends around baseball emphasizing youth and skewing younger, especially as they see their veteran peers having difficulty each winter in free agency. Perhaps this team can serve as evidence of the value of veteran players.

“It seems like baseball is getting younger, which I’m not saying it’s bad,” Suzuki said. “You’ve got a lot of young exciting players -- Robles, Soto, [Ronald] Acuña, [Mike] Trout. You’ve got a lot of young players that are exciting. But I’m saying older players sometimes get devalued a little bit just because of the age.”

Zimmerman added, “There’s something to be said for guys who have been in the league for 10-plus years and been through everything. I think there’s a place for both.”

Even though they poke fun at one another for their age, the viejos can still get it done.

“I look at them, and they're not old to me,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said. “They're playing like I’ve seen them play when they were 27, 28 years old. So kudos to them.”