Ryan Zimmerman was drafted by the Washington Nationals in their first season of baseball in the nation’s capital and made his Major League debut three months later on September 1, 2005.  In 2006, Ryan put together one of the finest rookie seasons in the 37-year history of the Washington/Montreal franchise and in recent baseball history, batting .287 with 47 doubles, 20 home runs and 110 RBI in 157 games.  The third basemen led major league rookies with his 110 RBI, including a rookie-best 22 go-ahead RBI.  He now holds the franchise rookie record for doubles, RBI, go-ahead RBI and multi-hit games.  Ryan is tied for the franchise rookie record in homers and game-winning RBI.

In addition, Ryan is just the third National League rookie in the last 50 years to record at least 100 RBI in a season, joining Albert Pujols (130 in 2001) and Mike Piazza (112 in 1993).  To cap it all off, Ryan closed out the 2006 campaign with a .956 fielding percentage, which tied two others for the top mark among National League third basemen.  He finished second in National League Rookie of the Year voting.