After an abysmal 26-61 start, the Nationals fired manager Manny Acta in the middle of 2009. Bench coach Jim Riggleman was promoted to interim manager for the club and served in that post for the remainder of the season. It appears the much-improved 33-42 record under his watch was enough to impress team officials, because reports are surfacing that Riggleman will officially have the word "interim" dropped from his job title. After Don Mattingly pulled himself from the job hunt, it appeared Riggleman's main competition was former Mets skipper and current ESPN analyst Bobby Valentine. What set Riggleman apart was what he had already shown general manager Mike Rizzo on the job.
Looking at the current Nationals' roster, there is hope of getting things turned around for Riggleman. There is a young nucleus in place in terms of both pitching and position players. Young veterans Ryan Zimmerman, Nyjer Morgan and Adam Dunn anchor the offense, with a good foundation of youth surrounding them -- both at the minor league and major league level. The pitching staff is still a work in progress, but with John Lannan, Jordan Zimmermann and promising 2009 first-round picks Stephen Strasburg and Drew Storen, there is hope on the horizon. Riggleman's job will be to blend the youth with the veterans and bring everyone along together.
Riggleman has previously managed the Padres, Cubs and Mariners (which was only an interim gig like this past season with the Nats). He has made the playoffs one time in eight full seasons as a manger -- with the Cubs in 1998, when they beat the Giants in a one-game playoff to take the NL wild card. His Cubs were swept by the Braves in the NLDS, though. His career record as a manager is 555-694.
