Mike Rizzo The Man For The Job WIth Washington Nationals

I hate to let down my fans, but I write today in praise of the Washington Nationals, who, in a rare act of competence, have made a very good decision in temporarily handing their baseball operations responsibilities to assistant GM Mike Rizzo in the wake of former GM and future convicted felon Jim Bowden’s resignation.

Following the shadiness of the Bowden administration, including the conflict of interest uncovered in the team’s Dominican baseball academy being owned and operated by team employee Jose Rijo, Rizzo’s appointment marks the first occurrence in which an Italian has been brought in to curb unsavory business tactics and corruption (Wackity Schmackity Doo!).

In all seriousness, though, Rizzo is an experienced baseball operations executive with an excellent track record in player development—an area in which the Nationals desperately need a skilled hand.

As the Arizona Diamondbacks’ director of scouting from 2000-2005 and vice president of scouting operations in 2006, Rizzo oversaw the drafting and development of one of the most impressive collections of young talent in baseball.

This list includes current major leaguers Justin Upton, Conor Jackson, Brandon Webb, Stephen Drew, Max Scherzer, Chad Tracy, Micah Owings (currently with the Reds), Carlos Quentin (White Sox), Dustin Nippert (Rangers), Greg Smith (Rockies), Carlos Gonzalez (Rockies), Greg Aquino (Orioles), Garrett Mock (Nationals), and Matt Chico (Nationals).

Rizzo joined the Nationals in 2006 and oversaw the drafting of the team’s current crop of top prospects, including Jordan Zimmerman (who threw three scoreless innings against a Mets split squad in a spring training game Wednesday afternoon), Michael Burgess, and Ross Detwiler, all of whom have yet to reach the major leagues but were ranked 56th, 65th and 81st, respectively, on Baseball Prospectus’ 2009 Top 100 Prospects List.

It is unclear what role Rizzo played in the Nationals’ monumental failure to sign 2008 first-round draft pick Aaron Crowe, but it is fair to attribute the episode to the now-famous internal bumbling of the organization as a whole.

Hopefully, the Nats’ will chase this rare display of aptitude by giving Rizzo a real shot and anointing him as the new permanent GM, rather than doing something stupid like giving the job to Dmitri Young, as they are wont to do.