Washington Nationals’ lineup for the series opener with the Atlanta Braves + more quotes on 2017 Nats...

Dusty Baker talked, after the Washington Nationals clinched the NL East title on Sunday, about what stands out for him about the 2017 version of the team.

“What stands out is how they work,” Baker said. “That’s what stands out. They’re here early, they leave late, if you’re injured the guys go in there and get their work done.”

“You look at the talent, you look at the guys, you look at the pieces,” Max Scherzer said.

“We have veteran players, young players, we have every piece of this puzzle that we need, and since my time here, this is my third season, this is the best team that we’ve had yet.”

“It’s a special group of guys,” Mike Rizzo told MASN’s Dan Kolko. “We’ve got guys in the peak of their careers, we’ve got impact players that are playing to the apex of their ability-level, we’ve got guys that know what they’re doing on the field and how to win, we’ve got a lot of guys that have won games before, and you package that with the speed and exuberance of these rookies playing at 100 mph with their hair on fire, it’s a good combination.”

‘We’ve got a lot of depth,” Jayson Werth said, offering his own take on the roster in the midst of Sunday’s celebration.

“Like you saw today, we put almost a minor league lineup out there. I think it speaks to the organization though, we’ve got depth, that was something that when I got here we really didn’t.”

Baker went with a lineup full of youngsters on Sunday, which allowed his veterans to rest and a group of rookies (and a few sophomores) to play a role in clinching the NL East crown.

Now the Nationals have to play out the regular season, with a shot at the best overall record in the National League. They could give Chicago Cubs’ skipper Joe Maddon a treat and let him face the LA Dodgers he was so eager to face last month in the NLDS.

HERE’S THE NATS’ LINEUP FOR THE SERIES OPENER WITH THE BRAVES: