Jim Riggleman Expected To Be Named Washington Nationals Manager

According to SI.com’s Jon Heyman via Twitter, the Washington Nationals are expected to name Jim Riggleman as manager.

Riggleman took over for Manny Acta with 75 games remaining in the 2009 season after Acta was fired by the Nationals. Riggleman went 33-42 in those 75 games.

Here is why I think Riggleman is the perfect fit for the Nationals:

To endure as much losing as Riggleman has done as a manager in his career and not to have lost his mind, tells me he is the right man for the job in Washington.

Look at Riggleman’s track record as manager in the major leagues:

San Diego Padres, 1992-1994: 111-179, .385 winning percentage

Chicago Cubs, 1995-1999: 374-419, .472 winning percentage

Seattle Mariners, 2008: 36-54, .400 winning percentage

Washington Nationals, 2009: 33-42, .440 winning percentage

That’s a lot of losing my friends. And in Washington, he is probably going to endure some more.

The Nationals could have hired Tony LaRussa, Tommy Lasorda, or Miller Huggins to manage this team, and they still wouldn’t win. Even the best managers need talent to win, and this team doesn’t have enough to win right now.

The Nationals have a decent core with Ryan Zimmerman, John Lannan, Ian Desmond, Josh Willingham, Adam Dunn, and hopefully in the future, Stephen Strasburg. But this team doesn’t have nearly enough pitching and defense to win in 2010, or even 2011.

Until the Nationals acquire more talent either through the draft, trades, or free agency, then Riggleman is going to have a tough time winning games in Washington.

Hey, look at the bright side—at least Riggleman knows how to handle losing.

I guess that counts for something.

You can follow The Ghost of Moonlight Graham on Twitter @ theghostofmlg