After 16 seasons, Mr. National is hanging up his spikes.
Ryan Zimmerman announced his retirement on Tuesday, bringing an end to the career of player who was drafted by the Nationals in their first season in Washington, D.C., following a relocation from Montreal. Zimmerman announced his decision in a statement thanking the organization and his fans through his agency, CAA.
“When we first met I was a 20-year-old kid fresh out of the University of Virginia—the very first player ever selected by the newly created Washington Nationals in the 2005 draft," Zimmerman wrote. "I had no idea how unbelievable the next 17 years of my life were going to be.”
Zimmerman was drafted with the fourth overall pick by the Nationals in the 2005 draft and debuted later that season. He was the face of the franchise in their early years in the nation's capital, finishing second in Rookie of the Year voting in 2006 and making his first All-Star appearance in 2009. The Nationals failed to post a winning record in his first seven seasons with the club before finally making the playoffs in 2012.
“We have won together, lost together and, honestly, grown up together. We lost 100 games (twice), we won 90 games (four times), we moved into a new stadium, we failed to get out of the first round of the playoffs (four grueling times) and, of course, we experienced the magical World Series run of 2019 that no one will ever forget," Zimmerman wrote. “Through all of the achievements and the failures you always supported me, and for that I will forever be grateful.”
Zimmerman retires as the Nationals/Expos franchise leader in many offensive categories, including games played (1,799), hits (1,846) home runs (284), RBIs (1,061) and runs scored (963). He made two All-Star appearances, won two Silver Slugger Awards and hit two home runs with seven RBIs during Washington's 2019 postseason run to a World Series title.
“Although my baseball career has come to an end, my family and I will continue to be heavily involved in the DMV community,” Zimmerman wrote. “You have given so much to us over the past 17 years; it is now time for us to give back to you. We look forward to continuing many of our community programs and starting new ones in the future. Our kids will be raised here, as this is now our home, and we couldn’t be more excited. So this is not a goodbye but more of a ‘see you around.’”
