The Washington Nationals appointed Mike Rizzo as interim general manager prior to the 2009 regular season. Jim Bowden, the incumbent GM, had resigned after reportedly being involved in an FBI investigation into the skimming of signing bonus money from Latin American players.
Rizzo took over command of the Nats’ front office and never looked back, earning a promotion to President of Baseball Operations in 2013.
It took Rizzo three seasons to put together a contender. The Nationals, frequent flyers of the NL East basement, had consecutive No. 1 overall picks in 2009 and 2010. Rizzo used those selections to draft Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper, both of whom have made multiple All-Star teams since.