Former Washington Nationals star Ryan Zimmerman officially announced his retirement on Tuesday, culminating a brilliant 17-year career in MLB.
Ryan Zimmerman makes it official: He is retiring after fabulous 17-year career with the Washington #Nats.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) February 15, 2022
Zimmerman is a true legend in Washington, having spent his entire career in the nation’s capital city.
Mostly covering third base and first base, Zimmerman says goodbye as the franchise leader in doubles, total bases, home runs, extra-base hits, hits, and games played.
He accumulated impressive numbers, hitting .277/.341/.475 with a 116 wRC+.
The wRC+ stat is a compilation of his offensive performance adjusted to era, ballpark and other external factors, and 100 is considered average.
That means he was 16 percent above-average as a hitter, which is quite impressive for such a long career.
Impressive Totals And Accolades
Zimmerman also hit 284 home runs, scored 963 runs, and drove in 1,061.
He is also a two-time All-Star (2009, 2017), a Gold Glove Award winner (2009), and a two-time Silver Slugger Award winner (2009, 2010).
At his peak, he could hit .300 with over 30 home runs and 100 RBI per season, with good defense.
He was definitely a fan favorite.
The highlight of his career, however, was winning a World Series title with the Nationals in 2019.
That’s something that nobody in Washington will forget, because it was such a special year and a somewhat unexpected title.
Zimmerman and company made the dream come true.
Nats fans will remember him with a huge smile on their faces as a player who defended the uniform with pride and glory.
In fact, some fans are already asking the inevitable question these days: is Zimmerman a Hall of Famer?
The answer is probably no, but he sure is a Nationals’ Hall of Famer and there is a strong case for the team to retire his number.
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