Divorce Final in D.C.: Manny Acta Reportedly Out in Washington

Manny Acta is through as Nationals manager, according to a report on ESPNdeportes.com that quotes Acta directly. Bench coach Jim Riggleman is expected to replace Acta as interim manager, according to MLB.com.

Washington lost 5-0 to the Astros on Sunday to drop to 26-61 on the season, a mark that leaves it with an appalling .299 winning percentage, puts it on pace to finish the season 48-114 and all but assures that the club will wind up in last place in the NL East for the second straight season.

Acta -- in the middle of his third season at the helm of the Nationals and 157-252 as manager of the team -- has been the subject of speculation all season long, with FOXSports.com reporting that he had been fired back on June 13, a report that turned out to be premature.

"I thank the Nationals for giving me this opportunity and I'm sorry that things didn't work out as expected. It's normal for the manager to pay the price when the team is not doing well," Acta said.

It's been a turbulent couple of months for the Nats, but it is clear that, much like the man now inhabiting the White House a few miles to the north of Nationals Park, change has become the mantra of the people in charge of the club.

Former general manager Jim Bowden resigned from his post in March after he was linked to a scouting scandal in the Dominican Republic that drew the attention of federal investigators, and pitching coach Randy St. Claire was let go in the beginning of June, a move many interpreted as a final warning to Acta.

Of course, that wasn't enough to save his job.

Acta was something of a hot commodity back in 2006 when the Nationals hired him away from the Mets, where he was the third base coach. He was young, Dominican, related well with the media and was one of the few big-league managers to embrace sabermetric principles with open arms.

Funny enough, all those things are still true. But even as the fall guy in a situation where no one seems to blame him for the state of the franchise, it might be awfully hard for Acta to rid himself of the stench of a truly terrible team, at least initially.

Ask Alan Trammell, who has barely gotten a nibble since being ousted in Detroit after losing 119 games there in 2003 and going 186-300 over three seasons. Or Terry Francona, who had to wait four years for another chance to manage after a forgettable stint in Philadelphia.

Baseball managers -- most of them, at least -- aren't recycled at quite the same pace as NBA and NFL coaches, but Acta is shrewd and seems to have the skills to be a successful skipper in the big leagues. Of course, every good manager needs good talent to work with and a strong organizational plan in place.

The Nationals are clearly lacking the former, and, if we're being optimistic about the Mike Rizzo regime, might be a few months into having the latter.

Acta might have to wait a few years for his next major league managing gig, but Washington's situation seems so bleak that he might have found his next job long before the Nats see the light at the end of a very dark tunnel.

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

7-13-2009 @ 5:34AM

bigoramos61 said...

good now the mets can fire manuel and hire i real manager.

7-13-2009 @ 9:20AM

Dudley Haas said...

Big John and Mr. Willis scratched the B-9 mole on my 4-head after John Neilson painted it. Actually, they put a big gash in it. Not to worry though, John can touch it up (if and when) he ever comes back. At least that's what Bustamonty says...

7-13-2009 @ 5:41AM

RockDad50 said...

Washington DC has a team?

7-13-2009 @ 6:08AM

Justin said...

Now the Red's can fire that sorry excuse for a manage Dusty Baker and hire Acta. Today would be perfect timing.

7-13-2009 @ 6:50AM

Frank said...

I want the job! I'm a glutton for punishment. ;-)

7-13-2009 @ 6:51AM

Gary and Megan said...

I wish we could fire the GM and all upper level management of the Pirates. They are the reason we don't win. They trade what talent they have for hacks and has beens. I think I will cheer for the Nationals. They will be a winner before Pittsburgh will be with the management we have here.

7-13-2009 @ 8:08AM

Wish Belkin said...

The Pirates are re-building.
As they have been for seventeen years.
You're right. It's time to clean house.

7-13-2009 @ 7:18AM

grich2342 said...

I'm a season ticket holder, and I've liked Manny since the beginning, but a change had to be made. After yesterday when they loaded the bases two consecutive innings and didn't score, I think it's time to try someone new. They will play better for Riggleman for 10 games, then go back to their usual playing level.

7-13-2009 @ 7:19AM

Jeff Hoff said...

As was the case for the washington senators, the baltimore orioles will run the washington nationals out of DC as soon as the orioles start playing winning baseball. Baseball can't support two teams in this region.

7-13-2009 @ 8:20AM

sliksvelte said...

Right, because the Orioles are doing so well in teh AL East. Now that the Rays have arrived, Baltimore owns last place there and will for a while. Besides, have you seen rush hour traffic these days between DC and Baltimore? It's not worth it to even go up to a game weekdays. Nats are here to stay.

7-13-2009 @ 7:28AM

maz45925 said...

The Washington Nationals would not even win in AAA minor league ball. They will finish the season with the worst record in MLB HISTORY. The manager deserves to get fired. You have to be a pathetic manager to let your team perform the way they have. Any team that hires that loser as a manager deserves to lose. He never should have been hired in the first place. What a pitiful team and a disgraceful manager. Anyone who can call themselves a Nationals fan I feel sorry for. Even more so than the O's who have had 11 straight losing seasons.

7-13-2009 @ 7:33AM

eyez53 said...

Sooo... let me get tis straight...IF the Almighty were to be a GM for the "Gnats" and the team still played poorly, then it is HIS fault? Somedays even The Almighty can't make silk out of sows ears....

7-13-2009 @ 7:50AM

dave said...

The Nationals should hire G W Bush as the new manager as he is unemployed and available. He would also be great at the post game news conferences since nobody can understand what he is saying.

7-13-2009 @ 8:03AM

Mike said...

First, there are way to many teams and way too less talent out there. When over 2/3rds of your league is under .500 and it's just the all-star break, the talent to support that many teams must be terrible. Second, give the Nationals the type of money to spend as the Yankees and watch how good they get and how quick they get good. The league is a joke in so many ways I don't really know where to start. You would think someone with a brain in baseball would see that people have football, basketball, and hockey, yes even hockey is passing baseball as far as who cares of it. Too many teams and ZERO as far as talent to support that many teams.

Bob said...

I guess Stan Kasten wasn't paying attention when he was in Atlanta with Schuerholtz. What a pile of Crap he has for players.
I do agree with the one guy who said the PieRats have worse Mangt. Trade Nyger Morgan for nothing?!?!?!

7-13-2009 @ 8:21AM

You know it was Kasten's organization who lifted Nyjer Morgan from the Pirates, right?