Matt Williams will be the next manager of the Nationals. Several outlets are reporting that general manager Mike Rizzo has settled on Williams to replace Davey Johnson.
Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com first reported the news with a Twitter update that said the team would also try to keep bench coach Randy Knorr in that job. Knorr was one of the finalists for the manager’s job.
Mark Zuckerman of ComcastSportsnet confirmed the plan to hire Williams. Knorr told Zuckerman he had not heard from the Nationals, but would be willing to stay if Williams wants him as bench coach.
The Nationals won’t say anything publicly until after the World Series, conforming to baseball etiquette that dictates no news detract from the sport’s premier event.
Williams has been a coach for the Arizona Diamondbacks for four seasons and has limited managerial experience in the Arizona Fall League. The 47-year-old Williams, a five-time All-Star with 378 career home runs, knows Rizzo from Rizzo’s days as scouting director with the Diamondbacks.
Williams will inherit a team that had the best record in baseball during the 2012 regular season at 98-64. The Nationals were expected to be a World Series conteder in 2013, but they missed the playoffs after posting an 87-76 record.
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