The Washington Nationals fired manager Matt Williams on Monday, according to a team release, after a tumultuous 83-79 season that saw the squad miss the postseason and severely underachieve after being preseason contenders for a World Series title. Thus began the search for the club’s next manager.
Continue for updates.
Nationals Reportedly Considering Cal Ripken Jr. For Vacancy
Monday, Oct. 5
Jon Morosi of Fox Sports reported Ripken was being considered for the gig, a connection that was first noted by Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports in late September. He mentioned that general manager Mike Rizzo and principal owner Mark Lerner are “fond” of the Hall of Famer.
Per Rosenthal, Ripken “recently confirmed to ESPN 980 Radio in Washington that he had ‘serious discussions’ with the Nationals about managing before they hired Williams during the 2013-14 offseason, adding, ‘it never really got down to the point of choice.'”
Ripken, 55, was one of the finest players of his generation and set baseball’s record for consecutive games played (2,632). He was widely respected for his work ethic and intelligence alongside his talent. He was the 1982 AL Rookie of the Year, a two-time AL MVP, a two-time Gold Glove winner and a 19-time All-Star selection.
Ripken has worked as a baseball analyst for TBS Sports since retiring, though he has no managerial experience. That fact should be a major concern for the Nats, however, according to Craig Calcaterra of NBC Sports:
The single biggest argument in favor of Matt Williams when he was hired was that he was a top player in his day, wasn’t too far removed from his playing career and could be a good clubhouse guy who understood what made major leaguers tick. His lack of experience was brushed off. All of which would be the same thing for Ripken, except he doesn’t even have the coaching experience Williams had and is even farther removed from his playing days.
Rizzo already has expressed his desire to have an experienced manager, saying on a conference call with reporters Monday that “we certainly would lean toward someone who had some managerial experience, particularly at the major league level,” per Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post.
At this point, Ripken seems like a long shot, even if he was considered previously and has been considered for the job this time around. If Rizzo hires a second inexperienced manager and Ripken doesn’t pan out, the general manager would likely be the next man on the chopping block, so the Nationals may ultimately choose to go the more conservative route and bring in a manager with big league experience.
Ripken may be a popular choice with the fans initially given his pedigree, but those fans would quickly sour on the experience if he couldn’t improve upon the team’s disastrous 2015 campaign.
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com