Now that the 2013 Washington Nationals season has ended without a playoff appearance, Davey Johnson’s tenure as manager in Washington has come to a rather abrupt conclusion.  While his final season in Washington did not result in a World Series championship and parade along Constitution Avenue, Davey completes his time in Washington with a 224-183 record, and leaves the job in a stronger position than when he arrived a few years ago. 

With three excellent starting pitchers in Gio Gonzalez, Stephen Strasburg, and Jordan Zimmermann, and an budding superstar in Bryce Harper, managing in Washington is a premier job in baseball and the Nationals will have their choice of impressive candidates this fall.  Many consider current bench coach Randy Knorr to be the favorite to succeed Davey Johnson, but there have been numerous names connected to the job in recent weeks. 

In homage to the Breeders’ Cup, horse racing’s biggest day which takes place later this month, I have handicapped the top contenders to replace Davey Johnson as the next manager of the Nationals. 

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Joe Girardi

Strengths:

A solid major league catcher, Girardi has proven to be a quality manager first with the Marlins and currently with the Yankees, whom he led to a World Series championship in 2009.  His track record of success and experience in the postseason make him an attractive candidate.

Weaknesses:

Although technically a free agent, Girardi has a nice gig as the manager of the Yankees and seemingly could remain in New York if he desires.  Known to have perceived interest in the Cubs job in the past, Girardi may be waiting to see if Chicago offers him their vacant managerial position this winter.

                Chances of Hire:                               2%

Trent Jewett

Strengths:

A former successful minor league manager with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Jewett joined the Nationals coaching staff in 2010 as their 1^st base coach, before shifting to 3^rd base this season after Bo Porter’s departure.  With a proven track record in the minor leagues and familiarity within the Nationals organization, Jewett should not be overlooked as a strong dark-horse candidate.

Weaknesses:

Similarly to other candidates, Jewett’s lack of experience managing professionally is the biggest flaw on his resume, not to mention the fact that he seems to currently trail Randy Knorr as the in-house candidate to replace Davey Johnson.

                Chances of Hire:                               15%

Randy Knorr

Strengths:

The Nationals current bench coach, Knorr has been seemingly groomed for the job since becoming part of the Montreal Expos organization back in 2001.  Knorr has coached or managed much of the Nationals roster at some point during his tenure, and is the leading contender to manage the team in 2014.

Weaknesses:

Although he has managed in the minor leagues and served as a bench coach in the majors, Knorr has never managed in the major league and his lack of experience is a possible negative.

                Chances of Hire:                               40%

Charlie Manuel

Strengths:

A noted hitting connoisseur with a World Series ring on his resume as a manager, Charlie Manuel has a strong backer in Jayson Werth from their time in Philadelphia.  His success in the postseason and experience managing in a pennant race should intrigue the Nationals.

Weaknesses:

Nearly 70-years-old, the Nationals may wish to find a manager with the potential to remain in the dugout for 5-10 years, something Manuel is unlikely to accomplish.

                Chances of Hire:                               2%

Bo Porter

Strengths:

The Nationals 3^rd base coach in 2011 and 2012, Porter was named manager of the Houston Astros last year.  Porter showed quality leadership skills and the potential to be an excellent manager this season in an otherwise difficult year for the Astros.

Weaknesses:

Porter is currently under contract with Houston and seemingly in favor with their front office, which should make it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to hire him away from the Astros.

                Chances of Hire:                               5%

Cal Ripken Jr.

Strengths:

As a Hall of Fame player with the reputation as one of the hardest working players in the history of the game, one would expect Ripken would quickly capture the respect of any locker room.

Weaknesses:

Ripken has never held a managerial or front office job in professional baseball since retiring and many question if he wants to spend the amount of time on the road necessitated by serving as a major league manager. 

                Chances of Hire:                               1%

Matt Williams

Strengths:

A former MLB all-star and current 3^rd base coach for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Matt Williams is one of the top managerial prospects in all of professional baseball.  Williams is expected to be a hot commodity this offseason for the many available managerial positions.

Weaknesses:

Although Williams has served on the Arizona coaching staff since 2009, he has never served as a professional manager, and this inexperience is the only true negative on his impressive resume.

                Chances of Hire:                               25%

“The Field”

Strengths:

With plenty of other excellent candidates available, namely Brad Ausmus and Jay Bell, along with the potential for other managers such as Bruce Bochy and Mike Scioscia to be fired in the upcoming weeks, the managerial pool seems unusually deep with quality candidates this winter.

Weaknesses:     

General manager Mike Rizzo, and the Nationals, have shown in their relatively brief history a tendency to hire those within the organization or with direct and strong ties to those already with the Nationals.  It would be a surprise if the Nationals manager in 2014 is not one of the top candidates listed above.

                Chances of Hire:                               10%

After weeks of speculation, Thursday the Washington Nationals announced they have acquired 22-year-old left-handed pitcher Matthew Spann from the Tampa Bay Rays to complete the earlier David DeJesus trade.  Washington claimed DeJesus from the Chicago Cubs on August 19th for cash, only to be redirected four days later to Tampa Bay in exchange for a Player To Be Named Later, eventually Matthew Spann.

General manager Mike Rizzo took advantage of the Nationals relatively early waiver position in late August to claim DeJesus, a solid veteran capable of playing all three outfield positions.  When acquiring DeJesus the Nationals pointed to his $6.5 million dollar team option for 2014 as additional motivation for the claim.  A career .279/.353/.416 hitter, DeJesus would have been a quality addition to the Nationals bench desperately in need of an overhaul prior to next season.  However, with Bryce Harper, Denard Span, and Jayson Werth occupying the three outfield positions next season, at-bats are expected to be scarce, and $6.5 million is expensive for a reserve.   Understandably, the Nationals quickly decided to convert their claim into a promising left-handed pitcher in Spann.

Matthew Spann, Tampa Bay’s 25^th round pick in the 2010 draft from a Tennessee high school, spent 2013 pitching at Bowling Green, Tampa Bay’s Low-A affiliate, posting a 2.87 ERA with 35 strikeouts against 21 walks in 59.2 innings pitched.  According to reports Spann features an 87-90mph fastball, an inconsistent 77-79mph slider, and a changeup with downward movement like a split-finger.  Listed at 6-7 185lbs., yes only 185lbs., Spann has plenty of physical projection remaining and I assume the Nationals’ scouts are betting that as he fills out, his velocity will also increase.  His low strikeout rate in A-ball is rather alarming, but Spann is an intriguing arm for the Nationals to add to their farm system.

General manager Mike Rizzo has shown a proficiency for uncovering valuable pieces in his smaller trades, cheaply acquiring Mike Morse, Ryan Mattheus, and Tanner Roark amongst others during his tenure in Washington. That said unless Spann increases his velocity and further refines his off-speed offerings to enable him to miss more bats, he is  more likely to follow the career path of other Rizzo acquisitions Robinson Fabian, Victor Garate, and Greg Veloz.  Either way, the Nationals’ front office deserves credit for shrewdly turning a waiver claim into a young left-handed pitching prospect with breakout potential. 

NatsGM Overall Grade                      ->         B-

Quick fellow members of Natstown, do you remember who was the winning pitcher in the final victory for the Montreal Expos?  The answer was the closer for the inaugural 2005 Washington Nationals team and the subject of this Time Capsule, Chad Cordero. 

Fondly remembered for his flat-brimmed baseball hat and known by his nickname, The Chief, Cordero was the Montreal Expos 1^st round pick, 20^th overall, in the 2003 MLB draft from Cal State Fullerton.  After spending a few months developing in the minor leagues, Cordero made his major league debut on August 30, 2003 in the 7^th inning against the Florida Marlins.  Cordero quickly capitalized on his opportunity, posting a 1.64 ERA and 12 strikeouts in 12 appearances for the Expos the rest of that season.  The following year, 2004, saw Cordero pitch 82.2 innings with a 7-3 record, a 2.94 ERA, 14 saves, and 83 strikeouts while establishing himself as one of the best relievers in the National League.  

As a 23-year-old and in his first season in Washington, Cordero had a magical career year, making 74 appearances for the upstart Nationals with a 1.82 ERA and 47 saves in route to being selected to the All-Star team.  In addition, Cordero was 5^th in the National League Cy Young voting, and 14^th in the Most Valuable Player award, nearly unheard of for a reliever.  Cordero also captured the NL Rolaids Relief Man of the Year, an award given annually to the top relief pitcher in each league.

As an acknowledgement of his monster 2005 campaign and blossoming reputation, Cordero was selected to represent Team USA in the World Baseball Classic in the spring of 2006: many Nationals fans pointed toward this early game action as the reason his numbers slipped somewhat that season, as Cordero provided the Nationals with a 3.19 ERA, 29 saves, and 69 strikeouts over 73.1 innings pitched.

Cordero stumbled again early in the 2007 season, as his ailing grandmother served as a distraction and eventually forced him to take a six game leave of absence during May.  After resolving those unfortunate issues, Cordero transformed from Clark Kent to Superman, finishing the year with a 3.36 ERA and 37 saves in 75 innings pitched.  Noteworthy from this season was that on June 13, Cordero (at 25 years and 86 days) became the second youngest player in baseball history to reach 100 career saves, trailing only Francisco Rodriguez.

This was about the end of the positive news for him on the field, as early in April 2008 Cordero tore the labrum in his throwing shoulder, forcing him to undergo surgery and miss most of the season.  While rehabbing his shoulder and still under contract with the team, then general manager Jim Bowden infamously went on Sports Talk 980 in July and stated that Cordero would not be tendered a contract after the season.  True to his word, on October 30, 2008 Bowden and the Nationals sent Cordero to Triple-A Syracuse, but because of the incident with Bowden, he rejected the minor league assignment and became a free agent. 

The following March Cordero signed a minor league contract with Seattle in expectation of competing for their closer role after recovering from surgery.  Unfortunately Cordero was unable to take the mound until July and did not make an appearance in the majors in 2009.  He did return to the majors for Seattle on June 3, 2010, throwing only 9.2 innings with a 6.52 ERA before he was released on July 15.  Soon thereafter, Cordero signed another minor league deal, this time with the New York Mets and was assigned to Triple-A. 

The next winter Chad signed a minor league contract with the Toronto Blue Jays, but was quickly released on May 17^th.  Cordero then agreed to terms with the St. Paul Saints of the Independent Leagues, but suddenly decided to retire from the game on June 20, 2011.  However, this past February The Chief came out of retirement to pitch for the Salt Lake Bees, the Triple-A affiliate of the Anaheim Angels.  Cordero struggled this season, posting a 5.53 ERA in 55.1 innings with 46 strikeouts across two minor league levels.  Still only 31-years-old, it will be interesting to see if Cordero ever again returns to the major leagues. 

Although his unfortunate shoulder injury derailed a promising career as a reliever, Cordero will forever hold a special place in Washington Nationals history as the closer on the inaugural 2005 team.  In a city with a Commander and Chief and many Chiefs of Staff, to loyal Nationals fans there will forever be only one man known as The Chief, #32 Chad Cordero.

This article was also published at our sister website, RedPorchReport.com.