A three-time Silver Slugger, Ian Desmond spent his first seven years with the Washington Nationals. Desmond would record three 20/20 seasons as a National and was an All-Star in 2012.  WIth Washington, Desmond had 110 Home Runs with 917 Hits

In the last fifty years, Stephen Strasburg was about as highly prized a pitching prospect as there was.  Strasburg has famously had his pitch count watched (even keeping him out of the 2012 Playoffs) after coming off of rehab of Tommy John surgery and the overall protection of the former number one draft pick might be the most of any player in baseball history.

The perceived coddling has paid off as Strasburg has represented Washington in three All-Star Games and was a second runner-up for the National League Cy Young (losing to his teammate, Max Scherzer) in 2017 where he was the league leader in FIP.  To date, he has given the Nationals five 15 Win seasons, and last season he set a career-high of 18 Wins, which was enough to lead the American League.  Strasburg would take the Nationals all the way to a World Series Championship, and he won five games in the post-season while also securing the World Series MVP.   He had not pitched much due to injuries over the last two years, but we would not bet against him.

It sounds like the Nationals had it right all along!

Ron Fairly played for the Los Angeles Dodgers for nearly 12 Seasons, before he was traded to the Montreal Expos during their expansion season.

It was a good acquisition for the Expos, who needed a veteran who had won at the highest level, and Fairly still could get on base often via the Walk.  In 1973, Fairley went to his first All-Star Game, and with the Expos, he had 86 Home Runs and an OBP of .381 over his five-and-a-half years in Montreal.

Spending his first six seasons of his MLB career with the Montreal Expos, Javier Vazquez was a good power pitcher who struck out 200 batters twice as an Expo.  Vazquez never quite lived up to his billing as he gave up far too many hits, but was a better than most starting pitchers during his tenure in Montreal.  He had a 64-68 Record with 1,076 Strikeouts with the Expos.

Like Larry Walker, Andres Galarraga would find himself a major star with the Colorado Rockies, but it as a Montreal Expo where he first proved he was a better than average Major League Baseball player.  “The Big Cat” was an All-Star in 1988 and would lead the NL in Hits (184) and Doubles (42) that year.  Throw in a Silver Slugger and two Gold Gloves, and it is easy to see why the Expos fans were upset to lose another budding star, when they knew would not be able to afford him.  Galarraga had 906 Hits, 115 Home Runs and batted .269 for Montreal.

Rondell White spent the 1990’s with the Montreal Expos organization and was a productive Outfielder who nearly accumulated 20 for his Expos bWAR.  White would have two seasons where he eclipsed the .300 Batting Average in Montreal and had over 100 Home Runs there.

The first player on this list who played for “both the Expos and the Nationals”, Livan Hernandez had his best regular seasons for this franchise.  A World Series MVP with the Marlins in 1997, Hernandez would become a two-time All-Star and a bona fide innings eater for the Expos/Nationals, and had a 70-72 record with 840 Strikeouts for the team.

Pedro Martinez would become a Baseball Hall of Fame inductee, predominantly based on his work with the Boston Red Sox.  Still, it was with the Montreal Expos where Pedro would assert his stardom.

Rusty Staub (Le Grande Orange) was an original Montreal Expo and had such great popularity over those three seasons he played there (though he did come back for a cup of coffee late in his career) that the team retired his number.  Staub would be an All-Star those three years and would put up an On Base Percentage over .400 as an Expo.

Prior to becoming a superstar and MVP in Colorado, Larry Walker was a very good player with the Montreal Expos who would become the only Canadian to win the franchise’s MVP award.  Walker would make an All-Star Game, and win two Gold Gloves and one Silver Slugger as an Expo.  

Following the 1994 season which was shut down due to a lockout, the Expos held a firesale, with Walker being traded to Colorado.  With Montreal, Walker had 99 Home Runs with 666 Hits, and in 2019, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

A three-time All-Star from Puerto Rico, Jose Vidro had 1,280 Hits as an Expo/National and would be higher on this list had he been better on the defensive side of the baseball.  He also batted .301 for the team with 115 Home Runs.

A three-pitch Pitcher, Jordan Zimmermann spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Washington Nationals.  As a Nat, Zimmermann would be named a National League All-Star twice and led the league in Wins in the 2013 season.  Overall with Washington, Zmmerman posted a 70-50 Record with 903 Strikeouts.

One of the more underrated players in the 1980s, Tim Wallach would make five All-Star Games on the strength of his reputation with the respective National League Managers who selected him.  In addition to his five All-Star appearances, Wallach would earn a pair of Silver Slugger Awards and three Gold Gloves. 

With the Expos, Wallach smacked 204 Home Runs, 905 RBIs and collected 1.694 Hits.

With his blazing speed Marquis Grissom was a demon on the basepaths, twice leading the National League in Stolen Bases as an Expo.  Grissom was also quite adept utilizing his speed patrolling the outfield, as he would earn two of his four Gold Gloves in Montreal.  The Expos were unable to keep Grissom and was unloaded to the Braves in 1995, where he won a World Series Ring.  Grissom had 747 Hits with 266 Stoken Bases.

The greatest Pitcher to come out of Nicaragua, Dennis Martinez had the best years of his long career with the Montreal Expos where he would be a three-time All-Star and won the ERA title in 1991.  Martinez would finish fifth in National League Cy Young voting that season.  Martinez had 100 of his 245 with the Expos, and had a 3.06 ERA with 973 Strikeouts.

Does Bryce Harper deserved to be ranked this high?

Easily one of the most highly touted players in baseball history, Vladimir Guerrero did not disappoint when he was finally called up to the Majors.  Guerrero actually goes down as the man who will have the most home runs as a Montreal Expo (234) with a Slugging Percentage well over .500.  He would also lead the NL in Hits in 2002 as well as Total Bases.

When thinking about the highest standards for defensive skill, durability, and passion behind the plate, you come across a player who truly embodied the competitive spirit of baseball in Canada. Gary Carter didn’t just lead the Montreal Expos into their first successful era; he was the lively heart and soul of a young team. With his warm, infectious smile and a powerful, aggressive swing, the player known as “The Kid” made the demanding role of catcher look like a nightly display of strong leadership. During his remarkable eleven seasons with Nos Amours, he became perhaps the most loved athlete in Canadian sports history and the clear top performer in the franchise's record books.

Making his primary arrival as a full-time regular during the 1975 campaign, the front office utilized his supreme athleticism across the outfield grass and behind the dish. Carter turned flashing his defensive tools into a strict daily routine, lashing 17 home runs and driving in 68 runs to secure The Sporting News Rookie of the Year honors, while finishing as a close runner-up for the official BBWAA National League Rookie of the Year trophy.

After a group of emerging talented players took over the outfield positions before the 1977 season, the management decided to move Carter behind the plate permanently. This change sparked a decade of exceptional defensive skill, significantly impacting how base runners in the National League approached their paths. Carter earned three straight Gold Glove Awards from 1980 to 1982, led the league in caught-stealing percentage three times, and topped all catchers in Total Zone Runs five times.

What truly made him a legendary figure in the inner circle was how his exceptional defensive skills kept a top-tier middle-of-the-order batter well protected. The peak of his amazing career in an Expos uniform shone brightly during a memorable 1982 season. That summer, Carter demonstrated incredible hitting prowess, setting a personal best with 29 home runs, 163 hits, and 97 RBIs, all while maintaining a solid .293 batting average and an impressive .381 on-base percentage. He led the team with an outstanding 8.6 bWAR — the highest single-season mark of his 19-year career — earning a well-deserved Silver Slugger award and finishing among the top five in the National League Most Valuable Player voting.

He matched that thunderous production with a league-leading 106 RBIs in 1984, commanding consecutive All-Star Game MVP trophies in 1981 and 1984 to cement his status as a national icon.

After the 1984 campaign, the small-market Expos faced huge stadium debt and tighter corporate budgets. With Carter entering the peak of a lucrative, long-term contract and management looking to pivot toward a total roster reconstruction, the front office initiated a highly jarring business exit that December. They orchestrated a blockbuster four-player trade that shipped their iconic centerpiece to the New York Mets for a package including Hubie Brooks and Floyd Youmans—a transaction that immediately allowed Carter to anchor the legendary 1986 Mets to a World Series crown.

While he famously returned to Montreal in 1992 for a nostalgic 95-game retirement tour—capping his career with a memorable game-winning RBI double in his final at-bat—his peak chapters belonged to the previous decade.

Carter played 1,503 total games representing the franchise; he accumulated exactly 1,427 hits, 274 doubles, 220 home runs, and 823 runs batted in, completely validated by a stellar 121 career wRC+ in La Belle Provence.

The BBWAA officially welcomed Gary "The Kid" Carter into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2003, and he proudly chose to enter Cooperstown wearing an Expos cap on his plaque. The organization beautifully matched that coronation by officially retiring his iconic number 8 that same summer, followed by a classy, highly respectful induction into the Washington Nationals Ring of Honor inside the nation's capital in 2010

When Steve Rogers debuted in the major leagues in July 1973, he quickly provided the young Montreal Expos with something they had lacked since the team started: a true, homegrown ace. Coming from the University of Tulsa, this right-handed pitcher had an outstanding rookie season, going 10–5 with a mere 1.54 ERA in 17 starts. His immediate dominance over big-league batters pushed the Expos into an exciting late-season pennant race and earned him second place for the National League Rookie of the Year Award, marking the emergence of a remarkable talent.

After his initial surge, Rogers became the Nationals’ most dependable pitcher, renowned for his durability and precise control. Each season, he willingly took the mound, stabilizing a fluctuating Montreal rotation and often surpassing 200 innings. His peak physical endurance came in 1977, when he set franchise records by starting 40 games and pitching 301.1 innings. Rogers excelled at inducing ground balls, reducing setbacks, and consistently resisting opposing hitters.

The late 1970s and early 1980s represented his peak years, during which he consistently earned national recognition as a five-time National League All-Star. Rogers secured top-five finishes in Cy Young Award voting three times, utilizing a refined mix of heavy sinkers and consistent mechanics. In 1980, he led the league with 14 complete games and achieved two shutouts, with five in both 1979 and 1983, cementing his reputation as a pitcher who finishes what he starts.

Nothing captured the emotional peaks and valleys of his Montreal stay quite like the shortened 1981 postseason. Rogers was outstanding in the National League Division Series, posting a 2–0 record with an impressive 0.51 ERA, highlighted by a six-hit shutout against Steve Carlton and the defending World Series champions, the Philadelphia Phillies, in the decisive Game 5. Yet, just days later in the NLCS versus the Los Angeles Dodgers, he was brought in from the bullpen in the ninth inning of a tied Game 5, yielding a heartbreaking, pennant-winning home run to Rick Monday—an moment that tragically overshadowed his otherwise stellar October.

Undeterred by his October heartbreak, Rogers rebounded strongly in the 1982 season with his best campaign. Playing with a fierce determination, he finished with a 19–8 record, set a personal best with a 44.7 bWAR, and won the National League ERA title with a stellar 2.40. That summer, he highlighted his season by starting the 1982 All-Star Game in front of his enthusiastic home crowd at Olympic Stadium, finished second in the Cy Young voting, and became an enduring legend in Canadian baseball history.

Rogers retired in May 1985 due to shoulder injuries, ending his 13-year MLB career entirely with the Montreal Expos. He was the franchise’s career leader in wins (158), starts (393), innings pitched (2,837.2), complete games (129), and shutouts (37)—records still standing today. In the history of the franchise, Rogers symbolizes peak positional longevity and era efficiency, a fact confirmed by his induction into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005.

Had it not been for the parallel existence of Rickey Henderson in the junior circuit, a swift, switch-hitting left fielder from Florida would have spent the entire decade of the 1980s completely unchallenged as the premier leadoff weapon in the sport. Drafted by the Montreal Expos as an amateur infielder, Tim Raines did not merely adapt to the artificial turf of Olympic Stadium; he harnessed his exceptional footwork to neutralize National League catchers and energize the team of Nos Amours. During an exceptional initial 12-season career representing Quebec, the speedster appropriately nicknamed “The Rock” combined elite, high-efficiency base-stealing with impeccable zone discipline to establish himself as one of the most exciting and dominant figures of his era.

His debut in the senior circuit quickly changed how opposing managers organized their defenses. Raines made drawing walks and creating chaos on the bases a consistent part of his daily routine, leading the National League in stolen bases for four straight summers from 1981 to 1984—especially impressive with 90 steals in 1983 alone. While his blazing speed kept infielders on edge, it was his remarkable growth as a high-efficiency contact hitter that truly elevated him to baseball stardom. He earned seven consecutive National League All-Star selections from 1981 to 1987 and finished among the top ten in NL Most Valuable Player voting three times.

His standout moment in the 1986 season truly showcased his incredible talent, as he delivered a spectacular performance marked by outstanding hitting. That summer, Raines confidently dominated National League pitchers, winning the batting title with a remarkable .334 average. He also led the league with a fantastic .413 on-base percentage, achieved 194 hits, and stole 70 bases, earning him the well-deserved Silver Slugger Award.

After a 1990 summer highlighting 49 stolen bases, the Expos faced a financial crossroads and aimed to cut costs by shifting to a younger, cheaper payroll under GM Dave Dombrowski. With Raines nearing the end of his contract and seeking a long-term deal, the front office chose to maximize his value before losing him for nothing. In December 1990, they executed a blockbuster trade, sending Raines to the White Sox for Ivan Calderon and Barry Jones. He turned that departure into another productive decade in sports, earning two world-championship rings as a veteran and coach with the Yankees and White Sox, though his numbers never matched his peak output under the northern sky.  Raines would, however, have a brief 47-game return in 2001, before retiring after the 2002 season.

Across his two stints totaling 13 seasons representing the club, he compiled 1,622 hits, 257 doubles, and 931 runs scored, entirely validated by an exceptional .301 batting average and a brilliant .391 on-base percentage. He remains the all-time, undisputed Expos/Nationals franchise leader in both triples (82) and stolen bases (635)—a total that includes a historic 84.7 percent success rate that stands as the gold standard for high-volume base runners

After initially stalling on the BBWAA ballot due to an early-career battle with substance abuse that he had beautifully overcome, his advanced efficiency numbers eventually sparked a massive analytical revolution among voters. It finally arrived in 2017 when, on his tenth and final year of eligibility, the writers overwhelmingly righted the historical ledger by triumphantly electing Tim "The Rock" Raines into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. He proudly chose to enter Cooperstown wearing an Expos cap on his plaque, a coronation beautifully matched that same summer when the organization officially retired his iconic number 30 alongside a classy, highly respectful induction into the Washington Nationals Ring of Honor.