You heard me.

Gerardo Parra was the Washington Nationals’ most valuable player in 2019. Unironically.

That much was obvious as the Nationals celebrated their first-ever World Series championship with a parade in Washington.

Sure, 20 of Parra’s teammates ranked ahead of him in wins above replacement according to Baseball Reference. His 0.3 WAR puts him right at the replacement level.

Parra played in only 89 games after signing with the Nationals on May 9 and he had almost four times as many strikeouts (41) as walks (11).

Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon is a National League MVP contender, and outfielder Juan Soto was Major League Baseball’s breakout superstar. The Nationals’ starting rotation features three of baseball’s top ten pitchers — Max Scherzer, Patrick Corbin and World Series MVP Stephen Strasburg — yet it is still Parra who proved to be the Nationals’ most valuable asset.

Parra’s season statistics were certainly less than noteworthy, but his first hit for the Nationals — an eighth-inning, game-winning grand slam against the Los Angeles Dodgers — must have been foreshadowing his future impact on the team.

MVP candidates, breakout superstars and world-class pitching are typically parts that add up to a successful team. But while those pieces can get you far, they are not enough on their own to win a World Series.

A World Series champion needs culture. It needs an identity around which team chemistry is built.

Gerardo Parra provided that for the 2019 Nationals.

A pivotal decision to change his walk-up song changed the course of the Nationals’ season.

Coming into play on June 19, the Nationals were sitting at a measly 33-38, good for a spot among the National League’s bottom feeders. Parra got two hits that day as the Nationals swept the Philadelphia Phillies in a double header that started a 15-4 run to turn their season around.

The new walk-up song, “Baby Shark,” became the Nationals’ anthem. Inspired by his young children’s love for the song, Parra unknowingly began something for fans, players and coaches alike to rally around, and the rest is history.

The Nationals went on to beat the Houston Astros in the most dramatic fashion possible: coming from behind in Game 7 of the World Series.

The walk-up song transcended the man who requested it. Soon, Nationals players would make symbols with their hands corresponding to the song’s baby, mommy and daddy sharks any time they got on base. Parra did not even have to play in the game for Nationals Park to erupt to “Baby Shark.”

Now, at the Nationals’ celebratory parade, it could not be more obvious how significant of an impact Parra had on the team.

Blocks and blocks worth of streets were closed off leading into the parade, and folks were selling Nationals gear the entire way. Red shirts, hats, towels and signs painted downtown Washington.

In addition to your traditional baseball merchandise were shark costumes, beanies and t-shirts. Children carried baby shark stuffed animals in one hand while holding their parents’ hand with the other.

Babies, toddlers, teens, adults, senior citizens and dogs alike all donned some kind of “Baby Shark” apparel. An uninformed observer might think it was the Washington Sharks World Series parade.

When the parade started, the front-most person on the first bus led the “Baby Shark” dance to hype up the fans. Oh boy, did it work.

Fans were clapping and chanting along to the popular children’s song, just like they have at every home game since June 19.

Nationals owner Mark Lerner even ended the parade by putting on a pair of red sunglasses and commencing one final “Baby Shark” song and dance. And there Parra was, jumping around on the stage with his baby shark stuffed animal in hand, with the spotlight fittingly on him.

Parra did not record a single hit across four pinch-hit at-bats in the World Series, yet the Nationals couldn’t have won it without him.

When considering who the Nationals’ season-long MVP is, forget batting average, home runs and RBI. Forget innings pitched, wins and pitcher strikeouts. Forget WAR.

All you need to remember is to clap your hands up and down while shouting “Baby shark doo doo doo doo doo doo,” because Gerardo Parra asked you to. Everyone else in Washington will be.

If that’s not valuable, I don’t know what is.