Ryan Zimmerman, First Player Drafted By The Washington Nationals, Retires

WASHINGTON, DC — Ryan Zimmerman, the first player drafted by the Washington Nationals after the team moved out of Montreal in 2005, announced his retirement Tuesday, telling fans that he plans to remain heavily involved in the local community.

Zimmerman is the franchise leader in almost every offensive category and helped the Nationals win the franchise's first World Series in 2019. Known defensively for his diving grabs at third base and his side-armed throws to first, Zimmerman also earned the nickname of "Mr. Walk-Off" for his 11 career walk-off home runs.

"Although my baseball career has come to an end, my family and I will continue to be heavily involved in the DMV community," Zimmerman said in a statement Tuesday. "You have given so much to use over the past 17 years; it is now time for us to give back to you. We look forward to continuing many of our community programs and starting new ones in the future.

The Virginia Beach native, who played third base at the University of Virginia, was drafted by the Nationals as the fourth overall pick in 2005. He made his major league debut in September of that year, playing both shortstop and third base.

At the start of the 2006 season, Zimmerman had cemented himself as the everyday third baseman for the Nationals, a position he would play for the next nine seasons until injuries forced him to shift to first base.

"When we first met, I was a 20-year-old kid fresh out of the University of Virginia — the very first player selected by the newly created Washington Nationals in the 2005 draft," Zimmerman said. "I had no idea how unbelievable the next 17 years of my life were going to be."

Former Nationals ace Max Scherzer, who now pitches for the New York Mets, expressed admiration for Zimmerman's long career with the Nationals. "His legacy of being a National, coming up as quick as he did, playing as well as he did for as long as he did, then culminating in the World Series ring, it's just really incredible," he told The Washington Post.

Given his play on the field, his leadership and his strong relationship with the city, Zimmerman will likely become the first Nationals player to get a statue of himself placed inside Nationals Park.

The 37-year-old retires as the Nationals' career leader in games played (1,799), runs scored (963), hits (1,846), total bases (3,159), doubles (417), home runs (284) and RBIs (1,061).