Matt Williams to Serve as Diamondbacks 3rd-Base Coach: Latest Details, Reaction

Former Washington Nationals manager Matt Williams has accepted his former job as the third-base coach with the Arizona Diamondbacks, according to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports. 

The D-backs haven’t formally made the announcement of Williams’ hiring, but Steve Gilbert of MLB.com speculated that could come as early as Wednesday:

Williams was the D-backs' third-base coach from 2010-2013 before taking the Washington Nationals' managerial job. In Washington, he was the NL Manager of the Year in 2014, but the team fell well short of expectations as unanimous World Series favorites last year, per Odds Shark, which led to his firing on Oct. 5.

The Nationals replaced Williams with Dusty Baker last week, and the team’s NL MVP favorite, Bryce Harper, wasn’t shy in expressing his excitement over the change with a slight jab at Williams’ expense while speaking on MLB Network (h/t Chris Johnson of MASN):    

"

I think you see that smile on my face. I’m definitely very excited to have him. Being able to play for a guy like Dusty, somebody that's been there, been around the game for a long, long time.

[...]

I'm very excited to have the team that we do. We finally have an All-Star staff and it's gonna be a lot of fun.

"

Williams played 17 seasons in the majors, including his final six with the D-backs in which he was a member of their 2001 World Series team.

The D-backs finished and improved 79-83 in 2015 but still well out of contention in the competitive NL West. They’ve quietly been building to what could be a promising 2016 with young pitching and offense centered around MVP-caliber first baseman Paul Goldschmidt. 

The reunion with Williams may give the D-backs an additional push they need in the clubhouse to make a hopeful run next year.