30 Rocks For Zimmerman During Hitting Streak

Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman may not be the first name you think of at his position, but he's certainly one of the better ones, and it has nothing to do with his current 30-game hitting streak. (Photo courtesy of Washington Post)

At a position that is dominated by the likes of Alex Rodriguez and David Wright, you sometimes wonder how Ryan Zimmerman is not included in the group of elite third basemen; even if he does play for the Washington Nationals, who; let's face it, haven't exactly set the baseball world on fire since moving to the nation's capital from Montreal in 2005.

Zimmerman is making short work of proving his critics wrong, however, extending his hitting streak to 30 games last night against the Giants, getting it out of the way early with a first-inning single against San Francisco starter Matt Cain. "I'm not taking it any different than any other at-bat," the third baseman said after the game. "I'm just trying to keep things simple up there."

If a 30-game hitting streak is what Zimmerman considers simple, Nationals fans and manager Manny Acta can start rejoicing now, even if their team is 10-21. Zimmerman's streak matched George Brett for the longest hitting streak by a third baseman. Brett's 1980 streak was also 30 games. Zimmerman is also the fifth player in as many years to have a hitting streak of 30 games or more; and the first since Moises Alou in 2007. However, the young slugger said he would give up the streak for a win after the Nationals were defeated 9-7 last night. "I'm disappointed about the team. I could care less for all the individual stuff."

Now there's a guy you would love to have on your team, no matter where he plays.