So there has been some news regarding the Washington Nationals and a managerial hire. However, it was not the team making a hire. It is a former National becoming a manager elsewhere. Multiple reports
have now indicated that former Nat Kurt Suzuki will become the manager of the Los Angeles Angels.
That is not only a name the Nats can no longer hire, but it is also cool to see a former Nat get a managerial job. This is only the third former Nat to manage in the MLB. The other two are Aaron Boone and Alex Cora. This one is a little bit different though, because Suzuki was a much more memorable Nat than those guys.
Suzuki actually had two stints with the team. The first one came when he was picked up at the 2012 trade deadline from Oakland. He was on the 2012 team and actually was on the 2013 team as well before being traded back to Oakland at the trade deadline.
However, that first stint was mostly a footnote. His second stint was much more memorable. Suzuki was on the team in 2019 and 2020, but the 2019 season is all we really care about here.
Suzuki was in a catching tandem with Yan Gomes. He was the offensive catcher while Gomes was more known for his glove. It was a successful tandem and obviously led to a World Series title.
Suzuki’s most memorable moment as a Nat came in September, when his homer off of Edwin Diaz capped off an insane comeback against the Mets. For me, that was the moment when I truly thought that the 2019 team was special. It was my favorite regular season moment from that season.
Seeing Suzuki as a manager now is going to be weird because that moment still feels like yesterday, but it was over six years ago now. In a strange twist of fate, Suzuki will technically be Anthony Rendon’s manager, though Rendon probably won’t play much, if he even plays.
We have now seen a couple managerial positions get filled in the last couple weeks. The Pirates are sticking with their interim boss Don Kelly and the Rangers are turning to Skip Schumaker. For the Nationals, it has been pretty much radio silence on the managerial hunt.
There are names that make sense that I can speculate about. For example, Brandon Hyde, David Ross and any assistant coach with ties to the Red Sox are names I would watch. However, we have not gotten any real links yet.
In a Google Doc tracking all of the news on the managerial front, there is a lot of blank text next to the Nationals. With a new GM as well, this process will take longer than teams with more settled situations. After all, Paul Toboni has to rebuild the front office as well.
I am sure there is work going on behind the scenes though. There is a decent chance we get more news in the next few days before the World Series. I would expect a hire shortly after the Fall Classic. However, we have nothing yet. Congrats to Kurt Suzuki and I hope he kills it in Anaheim.
