The 2006 Washington Nationals season was the franchise's second season in Washington, D.C., and 38th season overall. The Nationals finished last in the National League East for the third consecutive year (counting their final season in Montreal), 26 games behind the New York Mets with a 71–91 record.

Offseason

Advertising and marketing

The Nationals' marketing slogan for the season was "Make It Your Pastime." The slogan was a reference to the common saying that baseball is "the national pastime" in the United States.

Spring training

The Nationals held their 2006 spring training in Viera, Florida, with home games played at Space Coast Stadium.

Regular season

Groundbreaking for Nationals Park

On May 4, 2006, the groundbreaking ceremony took place for the Nationals' new ballpark, Nationals Park in Southeast Washington, D.C. Principal Owner Mark D. Lerner, Managing Principal Owner Theodore N. Lerner, Principal Owner Robert K. Tanenbaum, and Principal Owner Edward L. Cohen wielded the shovels at the ceremony; public address announcer Charlie Brotman emceed the event, and Mayor of the District of Columbia Anthony A. Williams, Nationals Manager Frank Robinson, representatives from Major League Baseball, the District of Columbia Sports and Entertainment Commission, the Anacostia Waterfront Corporation, and Clark-Hunt-Smoot Construction, and former Washington Senators and Homestead Grays players also attended. Less than two years later, the Nationals moved to Nationals Park for the 2008 season.

Beltway Series

During spring training in 2006, the Nationals and Orioles played each other in Washington on March 31 and in Baltimore on April 1. The first match-up of the regular-season Beltway Series rivalry took place on May 19, 2006, at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium; the Orioles won. This marked first time in 35 years that the Orioles played a regular-season game in Washington; previously, they had played the original Washington Senators of the American League annually from 1954 to 1960 and the expansion Washington Senators – which replaced the original Senators – each year from 1961 to 1971. The two teams split the 2006 season series 3-3 with each team winning two games at home and one on the road.

Alfonso Soriano joins the 40–40 club

On September 16, Soriano stole second base in the first inning to become the fourth player to join the 40–40 club, after Jose Canseco, Barry Bonds, and Alex Rodriguez.

Season standings

National League East

Record vs. opponents

Opening Day lineup

Notable transactions

Draft

The 2006 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft took place on June 6 and 7. With their first pick – the 15th pick overall – the Nationals selected outfielder Chris Marrero. Other notable players the Nationals selected were pitcher Cole Kimball (12th round, 361st overall), pitcher Sam Dyson (19th round, 571st overall), outfielder Khris Davis (29th round, 871st overall), first baseman Tyler Moore (33rd round, 991st overall), and pitcher Brad Peacock (41st round, 1,231st overall). The Nationals had drafted Moore in 2005, but he had not signed, and he did not sign again this year. Dyson and Davis also did not sign with the Nationals.

Roster

Attendance

The Nationals drew 2,153,056 fans at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium in 2006, placing them 11th in attendance for the season among the 16 National League teams.

Game log

Player stats

Batting

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs scored; H = Hits; 2B = Doubles; 3B = Triples; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; AVG = Batting average; SB = Stolen bases Complete offensive statistics are available here.

Pitching

Note: Pos = Position; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; SV = Saves; IP = Innings pitched; H = Hits allowed; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; BB = Walks allowed; K = Strikeouts Complete pitching statistics are available here.

Team leaders

Qualifying players only.

Batting

Pitching

Awards and honors

All-Stars

Annual awards

Farm system