The lesson to take from the Nationals

Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty ImagesOne of the common themes we see all across the sports landscape is when, at the end of every season, teams and analysts look for lessons to take from the most recent champion. I think we hear it the most with respect to the NFL, but it is certainly said about every league at one point or another. “It’s a copycat league.” If I had a nickel for every time I heard that I would have a totally unmanageable number of nickels.

For baseball, there is certainly some sort of overarching lesson that (rightly or not) has been taken from each champion. The Royals ushered in an era of bullpen-dominated playoff teams. The Astros and Cubs were the success stories teams…