The Nationals have named interim manager Jim Riggleman to that position full time, Major League Baseball sources said on Wednesday.
Riggleman, 57, is the organization’s third manager since it moved to Washington from Montreal in 2005. After Manny Acta was fired last summer, Riggleman piloted the Nats to a 33-42 record during the second-half of the season and saw his team end the year with a seven-game winning streak.
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Riggleman was informed of the decision on Wednesday. He was chosen from a pool of applicants that included Bobby Valentine – who won a pennant with the New York Mets in 2000 – and former Arizona Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin, among others. An official announcement will come on Thursday afternoon during a press conference at Nationals Park.
Riggleman has previously managed the San Diego Padres, Chicago Cubs and Seattle Mariners. His career record is 555-694 in 10 seasons and he has taken one team to the postseason – the Cubs in 1998 when they earned the National League Wild-Card berth. Riggleman was the interim manager in Seattle last summer and a candidate for that position after the season. When not chosen, he joined Acta’s staff in Washington as bench coach and eventually took over on an interim basis at the All-Star break.
All October, Nats general manager Mike Rizzo said that Riggleman was a strong candidate for the permanent position. The front office liked the way Riggleman handled his team through a difficult stretch after Acta was fired. Twice the Nats won seven games in a row during the second half of the season, including the season’s final week.
“Like I’ve said in the past – we’ve got a terrific in-house candidate in Jim Riggleman,” Rizzo said last month. “He’s got as good a chance as anybody of continuing to be the manager of the Washington Nationals.”
In other news on Wednesday, Nats third baseman Ryan Zimmerman earned his first Gold Glove. It was only a matter of time for the 25-year-old. With a range factor per game of 2.97, Zimmerman gets to more balls than any other third baseman in the National League. He led the sport in total chances (459) and assists (325). His UZR number — a rating system that devises how many runs a player saves relative to his position – was 18.1. That was the third highest of any qualifying player at any position.
“Defense was kind of my claim to fame when I got drafted that high, and they thought I’d develop into an offensive player. It’s always been a big part of my game,” Zimmerman said. “I worked hard at it. And I take a lot of pride in it. So it’s a huge honor, and one of the best individual honors you can get, according to me.”
Zimmerman — who signed a five-year, $45 million contract extension with the Nats last spring — is also up for a Silver Slugger Award on Thursday. He’s got a chance after a monster season at the plate. But former University of Virginia teammate Mark Reynolds did hit 44 home runs at third base so there is some stiff competition.
