Ryan Zimmerman
Ryan Wallace Zimmerman is an American former professional baseball infielder who spent his entire 17-year Major League Baseball career with the Washington Nationals. Zimmerman graduated from Kellam High School in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and played college baseball at the University of Virginia. Nicknamed "Mr. National", he was selected in the first round as the fourth overall pick by the Nationals in the 2005 MLB draft and then played for the team from its 2005 inaugural season in Washington, D.C., through 2021. Known for his clutch hitting and walk-off hits, Zimmerman was primarily a third baseman before moving to first base in 2015. He was twice selected as an MLB All-Star, won one Gold Glove and two Silver Slugger awards, and was a World Series champion with the 2019 Nationals.
Amateur career
Before college, Zimmerman played on an AAU team with B.J. Upton and David Wright. As a high schooler in 2000, he played on a "showcase team" with Wright, Mark Reynolds, and B.J. and Justin Upton.Zimmerman played high school baseball as a shortstop at Floyd E. Kellam High School in Virginia Beach. Until late in his senior year, James Madison, Charlotte, and UNC Wilmington were the only Division I programs to show interest in him. He later received a scholarship offer from Virginia.
The Virginia native spent his 2003 summer with the Peninsula Pilots. He batted a team-best.331 with 47 hits, including eight doubles, a triple and a homer. He finished with 19 RBIs, 12 runs scored, 60 total bases, and 16 walks. Zimmerman's hits, total bases, and slugging percentage were Pilots team-highs that season. He was later named to the North CPL All-Star team, where he went 1-for-2. In 2006, the Coastal Plain League honored Zimmerman as a member of its All-Decade Team.
A three-year starting third baseman for the Virginia Cavaliers in the Atlantic Coast Conference, Zimmerman started in all 174 games he appeared in. His collegiate career statistics include 250 hits, 140 RBIs, 128 runs, 47 doubles, seven triples, and nine home runs. He was successful on 32 of 39 stolen base attempts. His career totals are among the top 10 in Virginia statistical categories for doubles, hits, and RBI. Zimmerman established the school record of hits in a season with 90 in 2004, then broke his record with 92 in 2005.
In his final collegiate season, Zimmerman led the Cavaliers with a.393 average,.581 slugging percentage, 136 total bases, 92 hits, 59 RBIs, and 51 runs. He struck out just 14 times in the full season. Through August 2011, he was one of 29 former UVA players to have made it to the major leagues, along with Michael Schwimer, Javier López, and Mark Reynolds.
Zimmerman's collegiate awards and honors include 2005 All-American by Baseball America, 2005 All-American by National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, 2005 All-ACC selection, 2005 ACC All-Tournament, Team and 2005 Virginia College Sports Information Directors Player of the Year. He was also a 2004 First Team All-ACC selection, 2004 VaSID All-State Team selection, and named to the 2004 Charlottesville NCAA Regional All-Tournament Team.
International baseball
Zimmerman started at third base for the 2004 USA Baseball National Team that won the gold medal in the FISU II World University Baseball Championship. Zimmerman's summer with Team USA included starting 18 of 24 games and leading the team in batting average, hits, RBI, runs, doubles, home runs, slugging percentage and total bases. He also posted a.933 fielding percentage.Zimmerman's.468 batting average set a national team single-season record and helped him earn the World University Championship tournament MVP.
He won the USA Baseball Richard W. "Dick" Case Player of the Year Award in 2004.
Professional career
2005 season
Zimmerman was drafted in the first round as the fourth overall pick by the Washington Nationals in the 2005 Major League Baseball draft. After being signed on the day he was drafted, he was sent to the Savannah Sand Gnats, the Nationals' minor league A-level affiliate and then quickly moved up to the Harrisburg Senators, the AA affiliate.Zimmerman was called up to the majors when rosters expanded in September 2005. He first played shortstop for two games, taking over for an injured Cristian Guzman. Zimmerman also shared third base duties with Vinny Castilla, taking over the position on a more permanent basis between the time the Nationals were mathematically eliminated from playoff contention and the end of the season. In his first major league at bat at RFK Stadium he muscled a double to left center. Over the course of 20 games, he posted a.397 batting average, 10 doubles, and 6 RBIs in 58 at-bats. He was the only member of the 2005 team to hit over.300 in at least 50 at-bats.
2006 season
He remained with the Major League club to start the 2006 campaign, taking over third base duties from Castilla, who was traded to the San Diego Padres. Prior to 2006 Spring Training, Zimmerman changed his jersey number from #25 to #11, his former college number.On April 5, 2006, he hit his first Major League home run off a 93-mph fastball in the ninth inning against Mets' closer Billy Wagner. It sailed into the second deck in Shea Stadium, tied the game in the top of the ninth inning, and allowed the Nationals to go on to win their first game of the 2006 season by a score of 9–5 in extra innings.
On June 18, 2006, Father's Day, with his father in the stands, Zimmerman hit his tenth Major League home run and his first walk-off home run when he hit a 2-run shot in the bottom of the ninth inning to beat the New York Yankees 3–2. The usually stoic Zimmerman gleefully tossed his batting helmet in the air while rounding third and leaped onto home plate as his teammates crowded around him. He later took a curtain call and tossed his batting gloves into the stands.
On July 4, 2006, he hit a 3-run home run against Florida closer Joe Borowski on a two-strike pitch with two outs in the 9th inning of a game Washington was losing 4–3; the walk-off home run carried Washington to a 6–4 victory. This was Zimmerman's 12th career home run and his second walk-off. Two days later he delivered a walk-off single against the Marlins to win the game 8–7 in the 11th inning.
On September 27, 2006, against the Philadelphia Phillies, Zimmerman hit his 20th home run of the season and tied the Expos/Nationals franchise record for home runs by a rookie, set by Brad Wilkerson for the then-Expos in 2002
During his first season as the Nationals' third baseman, Zimmerman became a hometown hero and a fan favorite through his defense and ability to come through in late-inning situations. Frank Robinson once compared Zimmerman's defense to that of Brooks Robinson, a former teammate of Frank Robinson's. During the 2006 spring training, Frank Robinson said that he thought 12 homers and 60 RBIs would be a realistic goal for his rookie infielder; Zimmerman exceeded those expectations and finished with 20 home runs and 110 RBIs. Along with those two figures, he finished the 2006 season with 156 games played, 612 at-bats,.288 batting average,.352 OBP, 84 runs scored, 176 hits, 47 doubles, 3 triples, and 11 steals. He led all Major Leaguers with 10 or more bunts in bunt hit percentage, at 83.3% with 10 bunt hits. Although he was named on more ballots, Zimmerman finished second in the 2006 NL Rookie of the Year voting to Florida Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramírez in the closest Rookie of the Year vote ever.
2007 season
On a game that began on May 12, 2007, but ended at 1:42 am the next day, Zimmerman hit a two-out bottom-of-the-ninth grand slam to rally the Nationals past the Florida Marlins, 7–3.On June 22, 2007, Zimmerman fielded a routine ground ball that ended up in his jersey. As he bent over to underhand the ball at his stomach level, his jersey top opened and hung down in front of his glove, causing the ball to go into his jersey instead of his positioned glove.
On July 4, 2007, Zimmerman hit a two-out go-ahead home run in the first inning against the Chicago Cubs. The one-run home run would have been considered routine had it not continued a trend that led to Zimmerman being declared a "human fireworks" show by an ESPN.com article. The Independence Day home run marked Zimmerman's fifth game-ending or go-ahead home run on a holiday. Zimmerman hit home runs on Father's Day in 2006 and 2007, Independence Day in 2006 and 2007, and Mother's Day in 2007. Per ESPN.com, Zimmerman was quoted as saying, "I wish every day was a holiday."
On August 3, 2007, Zimmerman delivered his sixth walk-off game-winner in his first two seasons with a single to left, giving the Nationals a 3–2 win over the visiting St. Louis Cardinals. With another walk-off in September, Zimmerman produced seven walk-offs with three via home run, three via singles, and one via bases-loaded walk, in less than two seasons. Manager Manny Acta stated, "He has done some dramatic stuff since he's been up here...he doesn't get rattled when that situation comes up, and I think that's what he has shown here the last two years." Subsequent to the game, Zimmerman was presented the 2006 Larry Doby Legacy Award for his achievements during his rookie season.
On August 4, 2007, Zimmerman had his first career multi-homer day, hitting a solo shot in the fourth and a two-run homer in the sixth in a 12–1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.
in 2007, Zimmerman was one of 7 players to play in all 162 games of the season. He slashed.266/.330/.458 and set a career high in home runs with 24.
In November 2007 during the offseason Zimmerman participated in a homerun derby fundraiser for Grassfield High School in Chesapeake, Virginia. Participants included Michael Cuddyer who won the derby, Justin Upton, B.J. Upton, David Wright, and Mark Reynolds; all of whom are from the Hampton Roads area. Zimmerman broke his wrist and could not complete the derby and required surgery prior to the 2008 season.