By Jordan Long
The lockout is still in place for Major League Baseball. Teams were supposed to report to Spring Training yesterday and today with pitchers and catchers arriving first. Of course, that is not going to happen. The start of Spring Training has been pushed back until an agreement is reached with the MLB owners and players’ association. With that, Nationals’ infielder Ryan Zimmerman has decided to walk away from the game after 16 years.
Zimmerman first appeared for the Nationals during the 2005 season. He played in 20 games with 58 plate appearances. He hit .397 with 10 doubles and 6 RBI’s and was placed at 3rd base for 14 games. Zimmerman didn’t record an error and was involved in 5 double plays.
2006 Zimmerman became the everyday 3rd baseman for the Nationals. He totaled 15 errors. When it came to hitting, Zimmerman hit .287 adding 110 RBI’s and 20 home runs. Zimmerman’s problem at the plate was swinging at pitches outside the zone, equaling 120 strikeouts.
Zimmerman’s best year at the plate was in 2010. He had a career high batting average of .307. That season he smacked 25 home runs and added 85 RBI’s. His highest total for home runs occurred in 2017 with 36.
This past year, Zimmerman showed he could still play the MLB game at a high level. His batting average was .243, with 14 home runs and 46 RBI’s. Zimmerman took the offseason to decide his future. With the lockout in place and may not be lifted for a while, he decided to call it a career. According to CBSsports.com, Zimmerman said, “At this point in my career, it’s not about making money. It’s more the weighing of how much time it takes for me to put in the stuff behind the scenes that lets me still be successful on the field that people don’t really know about. And it’s worth it if you have a chance to win the World Series.”
He must feel that the Nationals aren’t in a place to win the World Series whenever the season starts. Zimmerman leaves the game with a career batting average of .277 with 284 home runs and collected 1,061 RBI’s.
A player’s dream is to not only win the World Series but play well in the postseason. Zimmerman helped the Nationals win the World Series in 2019. He was also part of 5 postseason teams. Zimmerman played in 35 playoff games for the Nationals, hitting .278 with 5 home runs and 17 RBI’s.
Zimmerman was voted into 2 All-Star Games and won 2 Silver Slugger awards for his play at the plate during the 2009 and 2010 seasons. He also took home 1 Gold Glove for his play at 3rd base, 2009. That year, Zimmerman played at 3rd base for 154 games. He made 17 errors but his fielding percentage was .963 which helped him earn the award.
Zimmerman leaves the game on his own terms. He had a great career. Not many players have the chance to win a World Series ring and he did so. Zimmerman may not be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame but he will go down as one of the best Nationals players in their history. They should honor him by retiring his jersey number so nobody can use it again.
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