On the first day of Spring Training, which came just a short time after baseball’s 99-day lockout came to an end, Davey Martinez, his players, and his staff with the Washington Nationals had to confront a reality that would be different from the previous four years of his tenure and 16+ years for the organization: Ryan Zimmerman was no longer an active member of the roster.
Zimmerman, 37, decided to retire after 16 seasons (and 17 years) as part of the club, and though Martinez was only there for the tail-end of the 2005 1st round pick’s career in D.