The Washington Nationals sure are in a different place at the start of September than they were at the beginning of June.

Back then, the Nats were 24-33 after a 12-17 month of May, and trailed the Atlanta Braves by nine games in the National League East.

Fast-forward to Sept. 1, when the Nationals improved to 77-58 after completing a sweep of the Miami Marlins on Sunday afternoon. The win pulled the Nats to within five games of the Braves, but they are also at the top of the NL Wild Card standings, where they have a nice cushion over the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies.

Given Washington's impressive turnaround, it makes sense that they are having some fun these days. The Nationals reenacted the scene of Simba being anointed during Disney's “The Lion King” during their win over Miami on Sunday afternoon:

Fittingly, Nationals outfielder Juan Soto looks like one of the players cast in the role of Simba during this reenactment of “The Lion King.” Soto has looked like the successor to former Nats star Bryce Harper since he first burst onto the scene as a teenage sensation in 2018.

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Soto is slashing .298/.405/.578 with a .406 wOBA and 31 homers. Soto also ranks 17th in fWAR, and his 149 wRC+ value is ninth in baseball.

The Nationals might be hard-pressed to catch the Braves in the NL East, but they could be an extremely dangerous club in October. With a starting rotation that includes Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg and Patrick Corbin, plus a bullpen that is finally getting back to full strength, Washington could be primed to make a run.