Q&A: Washington Nationals GM Mike Rizzo
The Washington Nationals are first in scouting, first in player development and first in the National League East. Mike Rizzo deserves much of the credit. The former scouting director became the Nats’ assistant GM in 2006 and he has been the general manager since 2010. Highly respected as a talent evaluator, Rizzo has helped build one of the most exciting young teams in baseball.
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Rizzo on the impact of the new CBA on the draft: “The strategy and the philosophy are very important. You have to have a clear thought process as to what your end goal is before the draft has started. It takes some creativity and some foresight to really put your master plan in place. The [changes] impacted us. They impacted the strategy we employed in putting together our draft board, and in putting together our top-10-round picks.”
On scouting and player development: “To me, it’s a two-headed monster. It’s never just player development, and it’s never just scouting. The two go hand in hand. It’s a hand-in-glove type of thing, and I think the state of our scouting and player development systems has never been stronger here in Washington.
“Our philosophy is that we take the best player available, at all times. We also take [the type of] players that we’ve had success developing in the past. The higher you take the player in the draft, the more secure I like to feel that he’s a developable player in our player-development system.
“We’ve been fortunate in the fact that we’ve taken players who have a great work ethic, have great character and makeup, and have great ability. That’s the package we’re looking for in scouting. It makes them developable for our player development department.
“We’re constantly evaluating ourselves. Self-evaluation is the most important evaluation that you make. The most important team that you cover is your own. You need to know what your own strengths and weaknesses are — not only on a player level, but on a personnel level — the people who are in positions to affect your players.”
On Davey Johnson and the Nationals Way: “We employ the Nationals Way, if you will — the way that we like to see things done. And the most important thing there is being consistent, from the Dominican Summer League teams to the major leagues. We like to be all-encompassing and do things the same way at each and every level of our system. That way, when the players do get to Washington, they know the way Davey Johnson wants it to be done.
“Davey has had input in this since I’ve been the GM. He’s been a consultant with me since I’ve been here and his opinion really matters to me. Not only because he’s the manager, but even before that, because he’s one of the best baseball guys I’ve ever been associated with. His opinion is heard.
“Davey is less old-school than you might think. He is a modern-thinking manager, even though his age may not convey that. He’s very open-minded and very new wave in the way he thinks. He relates to 19-year-old rookies and to 37-year-old veterans.
“He was using data before data was in vogue. He was using data when he was a rookie player. When Davey was thinking about his raises — as a young major-league player — he brought out that his on-base percentage was better than that of Player X, who was making X. He’s used numbers for a long time. As you may know, he was a mathematics major, so he’s into numbers and he uses them. He always has.”
On lineup construction and metrics: “We talk strategy — we talk about match-ups and that type of thing — but I need to make clear that Davey makes out the lineup. I give him the roster and he makes out the lineup. We have open discussions, both ways, on roster construction and lineups. We have a great dialogue and a great rapport. He’s the manager, so he makes out the lineup, but we discuss it.
“We use all sorts of metrics. I’d rather not [go into detail] — we like to keep that information close to us, but suffice to say, we utilize it. We have a staff in the front office that is extremely talented at that. I lean heavily on them in the player-acquisition side, and we use them quite a bit on the construction of the lineup side.”
On using data in player development and scouting: “We use it quite a bit. We’ve made up our own metrics for it — we’ve made up our own formulas. There is obviously the league, the park, all sorts of characteristics. We have a very inventive sabermetrics staff, led by our director of baseball operations, Adam Cromie. We feel very comfortable with our information.
“It extends to [amateur scouting]. We put a weight, if you will, on certain conferences in certain years. We even do it at the high school and junior college levels. We use [predictive stats] at every level. We use sabermetrics quite a bit.”
The man has done a good job. This aspect of Washington DC is deserving of respect more than some others. I believe they will be a force for many coming years.
I am happy to say this is my first post here at FanGraphs.
I was so happy to discover your site a little over a month ago. I have made a return to MLB after a 6 year absence. I haven’t been watching much TV over the last few years but began watching sports again last year and ball again this year. I have three fantasy teams and am very excited to begin my first keeper league between now and next season.
The A’s have been my favorite team since I started watching ball in 85-86. I live in Newfoundland Canada so I always followed the Jays and Expos as well, but I gravitated to the A’s and soon thereafter a couple young guys by the names of Canseco and McGwire were to follow. I stopped watching TV altogether in 2001 for a couple years only to return in 2004 to catch up on Football, Hockey and Baseball. After a couple years I dropped out again.
I have made a return to Baseball stronger then ever with the MLB.TV package. Now I can follow my beloved A’s better then ever. I used to only see them when they played the Jays. I did manage to make it to California in 93 and took in a A’s vs Brewers game. I saw Henderson and McGwire play. Bobby Witt started the game. Sierra was in right field. They had recently been picked up in the Canseco deal. I’m sure you guys here at FanGraphs remember the trade better then me. :)
As for this article to which I responded.
I must say I follow the Nationals the most after my A’s, and they ARE the most exciting team in baseball right now, from an organizational standpoint. Strasburg and Harper being the centerpieces right now.
I saw “Moneyball” this year, and being an A’s fan, and it has played a part in my return to MLB and my new found love of the game. Living in Newfounland, the only games blacked out are Jays games(which is silly if you look at a map of Canada), so I have been scouring MLB.TV getting to know all the teams. It’s hard to imagine myself going another year with out it…
Imagine this… I had not heard the term “sabermetrics” before this season. haha
That’s some funny sh*t
Crash
Welcome back to baseball! I’m an A’s fan too, so I understand how one could lose interest in the teams from 2007-2010. Seriously, we were pretty awful.
That being said, the early 2000′s is what I hang my hat on. And of course 2006. You’re like the prodigal son, returning to your baseball home after all those wayward years.
Keep reading FanGraphs and don’t forget to pop over to RotoGraphs for help and advice on your fantasy teams or NotGraphs for a good laugh.
Cheers David!
Was more a lack of interest in the TV world actually. I would look at the standings in the paper etc.
FanGraphs is on my favorites bar and yes, I do enjoy RotoGraphs and NotGraphs as well. I had a great laugh at “When Henry Cotto gets Real” at work the other night. I had to share it with the bartender at the club who is a big sports fan(he’s all Boston all sports) I found it so humorous. I had that card too.
I even listen to the podcasts(don’t tell Cistulli though, might go to his head :) when out on the stroll.
I would like to get in on a league here if I could. I know that anyone playing from here would be serious about their team/league at the least. :)
Karl Kuehl moved from Expos to As in the 1970s
How brave and curious to opt out of popular culture, so!
I’d say overall, the quality of television productions is getting better and better every year. However, as we get older, we get involved in more and more things and have less and less time for things we used to do. However, if you can get HBO on Demand, check out Boardwalk Empire, Game of Thrones, and if you have any interest in a realistic urban culture of 20-somethings check out Girls.
Another great web site for baseball fans who play fantasy baseball – or not – is Baseball Prospectus. David Laurila, who I agree is excellent, used to write for them. Their current star witers are Sam Miller, Kevin Goldstein, and Jason Parks.
The reason I read this is because I am a fan of tangotiger’s website “The Book – Playing the Percentages in Baseball”, who alerted his readers about this interesting interview.
If you play scoresheet baseball, scoresheet-talk is a great forum – and I hope you would find my site Scoresheetwiz quite handy and fun.
Well, John Scoresheetwiz, while bravery and curiosity may have played a part, foolishness and naivety did as well. That being said, I am happy to be here.
I am totally up to date on Boardwalk and Thrones, loving both and eagerly anticipating the season premieres. I am going to start A Song of Ice and Fire:Book One as soon as I am done “Steve Jobs” by Walter Isaacson. I am no speed reader when it comes to novels.
Baseball Prospectus hey…I will check it out upon completion of this comment.
I have never heard of scoresheet baseball either…out of the park 13 I have now, but not scoresheet.
Cheers!
Well, Crash, I wondered if that was actually the reason, but I was giving you the benefit of doubt. I do know some people here in Toronto who chose not to even own a TV. Good luck to you.
Good interview, David.
Just curious – for non-Nats fans (because I am one), what is your opinion of Rizzo as a GM/talent evaluator? He gets credit for building the team around Strasburg and Harper, and while he had to sign both, they were each slam dunk 1st overall picks.
I’d say he did a good job evaluating Gio (and much of the talent they amassed to be able to swing the trade)… Dave here called it one of the dumbest moves of the off-season but I think we can agree that that was not a correct call. As early as when he led scouting for the D-Backs, he got Webb, Drew and Jason Upton. Before becoming the GM for the Nats he locked in on Jordan Zimmermann.
I want to hear what others have to say and this is really long but I’m just a fan trying to share his thoughts.
I think he’s done an exceptional job so far. The Nats farm system was desolate when he came aboard. It was the worst in the majors (we drafted Zimmerman before his arrival but he was up in Washington by 2005).
The number of injuries we’ve had this year truly shows the organizational depth or ML-ready talent, ESPECIALLY at Catcher where we’ve had at least 3 catchers hold their own in the majors and our top catching prospect is still in the minors.
Even without Bryce Harper and Strasburg, the talent in our farm system is probably middle-of-the-pack, if not a little better.
He’s not reluctant to make a trade as several current Nats came via trade. It’s well-known that he traded 4 of the Nats top prospects for Gio Gonzalez and the early returns are that he got a great deal. He’s traded for a few other big pieces on our roster (Gio, Morse, Clippard, Ramos, H-Rod, Mattheus, Burnett, Gorzelanny). A couple of the trades were more or less a wash or early days, but there are 2 he almost definitely got a steal on. Ryan Langerhans for Michael Morse, and Jonathan Albaladejo for Tyler Clippard.
He was the Director of Scouting for Arizona from 2000 to 2006 and I scanned through their draft picks during those times and found some good ones! Brandon Webb, Justin Upton, Carlos Quentin, Max Scherzer, Ian Kinsler (2x), Conor Jackson, Dan Uggla, Brett Anderson and Mark Reynolds along with a few other good ones.
People know about Harper and Strasburg and probably Rendon but the current roster contains a few other Rizzo picks: Lombardozzi was an 18th rounder in 2009; Espinosa was a 3rd rounder in 2008; we took Drew Storen 10th overall in (I think) the Strasburg draft; Detwiler was the 6th overall pick in the 2007 draft. I was surprised to see so few
He’s picked a few players up for cheap, off the scrap heap, or signed to 1 year deals: Ankiel, Nady, DeRosa, Jesus Flores in Rule V draft, Wang, Lidge, and Edwin Jackson (who wasn’t cheap but has been important and hopefully re-signs)
Werth is the only guy on the roster who was a Long-Term Free Agent signing.
From what I can gather through reading, observation, and hearsay, coachability is high on his list of things he looks for in players, he loves power pitchers, he doesn’t mind taking a risk on injuries (see Rendon, Giolito, and LaRoche), I think he has an amazing eye for Middle Infielders (between drafting Kinsler and Uggla with late round picks in AZ and picking up Lombardozzi in the late rounds), he’s built tremendous depth at Catcher and in the Middle and Corner Infield spots, he shows a lot of patience with development (Ian Desmond, Danny Espinosa, and the bullpen now — I’ve heard him talk about the Hanrahan trade with regret for “giving up” too soon).
The bad: I think Werth was a bad signing, my hope is that Nady and DeRosa are here to be a good influence on the younger guys and not to be contributors; he gambled with the LaRoche signing and the injury last year hurt but he has been good this year; aside from Brian Goodwin the OFers he’s drafted (except Bryce) have not lived up to the “hype” so far.
Overall, I’m very pleased and I think next year’s Nats team will be even better. I’d like to see somebody like Brian Goodwin
Great article. It sounds like the are ahead of the curve as an organization, but it is confusing that a guy like Jayson Werth would get a monster deal like he did in 2010 when he was on the wrong side of 30.
Yeah, the fans in DC are a bit mystified by the Werth deal, too, but many explain it in the following way: signing Werth was a signal to all the other players in MLB that the Nats were now “in business” to seriously build a winner, by signing hustle-old-school guys who were also serious about winning, and that they were willing to open their pocketbook.
The theory is that signing Werth made/will make it easier to sign other free agents (E Jax, e.g., and rumors are that Prince Fielder wanted to come to DC until Detroit’s offer blew everybody else out of the water).
I have no idea if this theory is true or not, but that’s seems to be the current theory among the hard core fans.
FWIW, YMMV, etc.
My specific sub-version of this theory is that if you knock off a year and $20MM off of Werth’s contract (6/106 is what you get), you actually have a decent-looking deal, albeit one you expect to pay off in years 1-4, not 5-6. So 1 year, 20 million dollars, and a no-trade clause is what paid him to make the statement we are supposedly trying to make.
Rizzo has confirmed that was part of his motivation to sign Werth at that price, as a signal such as you describe.
Great article, keep them coming. It’s one reason I come to the site. I wish the Twins were more inclined to use numbers, and not eyeballs and trying to draft guys that will sign for less money. Now that Ryan is back in charge, it looks like a return to the old ways in just 1 year.
This was really insightful. Well done. Especially enjoyed the bits about Davey Johnson.
Good article. As a Nats fan, it’s great to be part of what’s going on in DC baseball. Ever since Rizzo took the helm, there has been a great sense that the team is building toward something. The youth and energy of the team make it even more exciting. This team is good, but not nearly as good as it will be in the next few years. Even if you’re not a Nats fan, you should tune in for a game. If nothing else, they’re fun to watch.
being in a town where everyone has to be home by 10, apparently, makes it pretty easy to move down at the ballpark, too!
Good article. I haven’t had the opportunity to meet Mike Rizzo or Davey Johnson yet, but I have known and worked with Adam Cromie for almost three years. A great, very smart guy (and fast rising) guy. Adam and his analysts have a very good grasp of sabermetrics. I’m proud to be able to make my small contribution as an adviser and consultant.
Remember that Mike Rizzo also pulled off the Matt Capps for Wilson Ramos trade, which I considered a slam-dunk at the time. While he was great last year, Ramos got off to a shaky start both behind and at the plate this year and his subsequent season-ending injury renders him a non-factor for the rest of this year. I still think it was good move with the Nats getting more upside, so my hopes are high that Ramos can settle down when he returns.
Anyway, I’m just enjoying the heck out of the Nationals this season. Hopefully they can keep it up after the All-Star Break and reward the fans for those embarrassing years gone by.
Nats are going to be good for a long time, great front office who understands importance of inter relations of scouting, stats and pd. rizzo, minitti, cromie, and Sam Mondry Cohen (bright kid I met at the winter meetings, should be a future gm) are finally getting to see the fruits of their labor.
Why isn’t this tagged as a “Nationals” post on FanGraphs? Those of us who follow our own teams through Twitter/RSS would appreciate being notified of these types of articles. Please see if there’s a way to ensure this happens.
That aside, I really enjoyed this piece. Well done.