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Saturday, June 25, 2011

MLB reports:   According to several sources, the Nationals are set to announce the hiring of their new manager.  Less than twenty-four hours after the abrupt resignation of Jim Riggleman (see yesterday’s feature), Mike Rizzo has apparently found the man for the job within the Nationals organization.  Ex-Mets skipper, Davey Johnson is set to move from the front office to the dugout.  Nationals fans couldn’t be happier.

Unlike his predecessor, Davey Johnson is a proven winner.  Johnson managed four teams in his career before accepting the Nationals position.  As a big league manager, Johnson has a career record of 1148 wins and 888 losses, good for a .564 winning percentage.  Johnson has finished 11 of his 14 seasons above .500.  He won a World Series title in 1986 with the New York Mets.  Looking further at the numbers, Johnson’s teams have finished first in their division five times and in second place on seven different occasion.  Johnson wins everywhere he goes and the same will be expected as the new face of baseball in the nation’s capital.

With Stephen Strasburg on the mend and Bryce Harper slowly making the climb to the big leagues, the Nationals will have a strong talent base for Johnson to mold.  The Nationals will be looking for its team to play “Daveyball” and try to recreate some of the Mets magic from 1986.  That team was filled with young prospects that gelled together at the same time, sprinkled with key veterans.  As Mike Rizzo continues to tinker with the roster, we could very well be seeing a Nationals playoff run by 2013.  Coincidently, that will also be the year that new manager Davey Johnson’s contract is set to expire.  Provided Johnson’s teams perform to expectations, his run in Washington will be far longer than that of Jim Riggleman.

Davey Johnson is known as a gamer.  A man who played with his heart on his sleeve back in his playing days and as an intense competitor behind the bench.  This is a man who refuses to lose.  For an organization that seemingly refuses to win, Johnson is a breath of fresh air and should turn out to be the voice of a reason for an organization in dire need of direction.  Bobby Valentine would have been a good choice as well (given the rumors surrounding him in the media).  But the Nationals have their man.  A former Manager of the Year (AL 1997) and World Series winner.  Welcome to the new Nationals manager, Davey Johnson.  Get ready to see a lot of W’s in Washington during the next few seasons.

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