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Mike Rizzo (baseball)

March 06, 2024

This article is about the baseball executive. For the DJ, see Mike Rizzo.

Michael Anthony Rizzo (born December 14, 1960) is an American baseball front office executive who is the president of baseball operations and general manager of the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball (MLB).[1]

Mike Rizzo
Rizzo in 2022
Washington Nationals
President and general manager of baseball operations
Born: (1960-12-14) December 14, 1960 (age 63)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Teams
As executive
Career highlights and awards

After a brief playing career in minor league baseball,[2] Rizzo transitioned into coaching and scouting. He became the director of scouting for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2000. Rizzo joined the Nationals in 2006 as an assistant general manager. He succeeded Jim Bowden as the Nationals' general manager in 2009, and was promoted to team president in 2013. Rizzo and the Nationals won the franchise's first World Series in 2019, defeating the Houston Astros in seven games.[3]

Early life edit

Rizzo, a third-generation scout, grew up in Chicago as one of four children to Phil and Bernadine Rizzo. His father, Phil, was a former minor league baseball player[4] who drove a truck for the city and scouted for the California Angels on a part-time basis. The Angels eventually made Phil a full-time scout, as many of the players he identified reached the majors.[5][6] After 50 years in professional baseball, Phil was eventually part of the inaugural induction class that entered the Professional Baseball Scouts Hall of Fame in 2008.[7] Phil continued his scouting career with the Nationals as a senior advisor to the GM until his passing on February 1, 2020. Mike Rizzo's grandfather, Vito, was a semi-pro player before founding the family business: scouting.

Rizzo attended Holy Cross High School in River Grove, Illinois, Triton College, and Saint Xavier University, where he played college baseball for the Triton Trojans and Saint Xavier Cougars.[2][1][8]

Early career edit

The Angels drafted Rizzo in the 22nd round, with the 554th overall selection, in the 1982 Major League Baseball Draft.[6] He played for the Salem Angels (Class A Short Season), Peoria Suns (Class A) and Redwood Pioneers (Class A Advanced) from 1982 to 1984. After the 1984 season, the Angels released Rizzo. His father suggested that he was not skilled enough to reach the major leagues, and advised he attend college.[6]

Rizzo became an assistant coach at the University of Illinois while earning a Bachelor of Arts in Communications in 1988.[6] Larry Himes, the scout who drafted Rizzo, became the general manager of the Chicago White Sox, and he hired Rizzo as a scout for the Upper Midwest region. While with the White Sox, Rizzo signed 2014 Hall of Fame inductee and two-time American League MVP Frank Thomas. [6] He also scouted for the Boston Red Sox. Rizzo joined the Arizona Diamondbacks when the franchise was created in 1998, and served as the director of scouting for the Diamondbacks from 2000 to 2006. He helped transform the Diamondbacks farm system with exceptionally successful drafts. Following the 2005 campaign, Rizzo was promoted to Vice President of Scouting Operations. That same year, the Diamondbacks were named Topps' Organization of the Year. Rizzo earned a World Series ring with Arizona in 2001, and the organization brought an astounding number of homegrown players through to the Major Leagues during his tenure. Brandon Webb (2006  Cy Young Award winner), Carlos Gonzalez, Chad Tracy, Justin Upton, Stephen Drew, Dan Uggla, Micah Owings, Tony Pena, Mark Reynolds, Conor Jackson, Miguel Montero, Chris Snyder, Carlos Quentin, Max Scherzer and Brett Anderson were all signed by Arizona under Rizzo's watch.

Washington Nationals edit

Seeking to replace Joe Garagiola Jr. as the Diamondbacks' general manager, the team chose Josh Byrnes over Rizzo.[6] As a result, Rizzo joined the Washington Nationals organization, when he was appointed assistant general manager and vice president of baseball operations by Jim Bowden on July 24, 2006.[9] This move coincided with the franchise's ownership transfer from Major League Baseball to a Washington, D.C.-based investment group headed by Ted Lerner.[10]

Three days after Bowden's sudden resignation on March 1, 2009,[11] Rizzo was promoted to general manager on an interim basis by team president Stan Kasten.[12] He was named the full-time senior vice president and general manager on August 20, 2009.[13] On October 19, 2010, Rizzo signed a five-year contract extension and was promoted to executive vice president of baseball operations and general manager.[14] The last two years of this contract were club options.[15]

On June 24, 2021 at Miami, the Nationals beat the Marlins, 7-3, marking Rizzo's 1,000th win as general manager since taking over the club during 2009 Spring Training. In doing so, he became the ninth active president of baseball operations and general manager to reach the 1,000 win mark and the sixth active to do it with one team. Since 2012, the Nationals have the fifth-best regular season record in Major League Baseball over this span, behind only the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals and Cleveland Guardians.

The Nationals have had success under Rizzo, winning a World Series in 2019 and four National League East titles (2012, 2014, 2016, 2017) during his tenure. In April 2022, Rizzo was inducted into the Triton College Alumni Wall of Fame. In December 2021, he was named the Italian American Baseball Foundation Executive of the Year. After winning the World Series in 2019, he was named Executive of the Year by Baseball America and the Boston Chapter of the BBWAA. The Boston Chapter of the BBWAA also honored him with the same award following the 2012 season. He also garnered Executive of the Year honors in 2012 from the Pitch and Hit Club of Chicago, which followed 2011 Man of the Year honors from the Lido Civic Club of Washington, D.C.

In November of 2009, Rizzo convinced Davey Johnson to sign on as senior advisor and help revamp the Nationals' on-field operations. In June of 2011, Rizzo appointed him field manager and Johnson led the team to its first playoff appearance and through the 2013 season. On December 5, 2010, Rizzo signed right fielder Jayson Werth to a seven-year contract that immediately changed the perception of the Nationals. One year later, Rizzo signed franchise cornerstone Ryan Zimmerman, to a six-year contract extension. From 2009 to 2012 Rizzo's Nationals won at least 10 more games than the season prior: 59 wins in 2009, 69 in '10, 80 in '11, 98 in '12. The last team to do this was the Boston Red Sox from 1906 to 1909, making the Nationals the first team in over 100 years to complete such a feat without the benefit of an artificially deflated win total associated with a work stoppage. Rizzo shut down ace pitcher Stephen Strasburg late in the 2012 season as he recovered from Tommy John surgery from the year before.[16] The Nationals promoted Rizzo to president of baseball operations during the 2013 season.[17]

To strengthen the rotation before the 2015 season, Rizzo signed ace pitcher Max Scherzer to a seven-year contract, introducing him on January 21, 2015. In December 2015, Rizzo pulled off a three-team trade that netted shortstop Trea Turner and right-handed pitcher Joe Ross from the San Diego Padres and sent outfielder Steven Souza Jr. to the Tampa Bay Rays. With the 2016 Baseball Winter Meetings taking place at nearby National Harbor, Md., Rizzo acquired outfielder Adam Eaton from the White Sox in exchange for prospects Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez and Dane Dunning. In 2016, the team picked up its option to extend Rizzo's contract through the 2018 season.[18]

With Washington ahead in the division by nearly 10.0 games following the 2017 All-Star break, Rizzo got a jump on the trade market on July 16, fortifying Washington's bullpen by acquiring relievers Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson from the Oakland Athletics. On July 28, he acquired veteran position player Howie Kendrick from the Philadelphia Phillies. Moments before the July 31 deadline, Rizzo further added to the bullpen with the acquisition of Minnesota Twins reliever Brandon Kintzler. On April 5, 2018, Rizzo signed a contract extension through the 2020 season.[19] When Kendrick went down with an Achilles injury on May 19, 2018, Rizzo promoted19-year-old outfield prospect Juan Soto to the Major Leagues.

After 11 seasons as the head of Washington's baseball operations, Rizzo's team won the 2019 World Series, defeating the Houston Astros in seven games.[20] Rizzo's contract was then extended through 2023, giving him a raise above his $4 million per year salary.[21]

In a span of roughly 26 hours from July 29-30, 2021, Rizzo and the Washington Nationals acquired 12 players via six trades around the trade deadline. Those 12 players included Josiah Gray, Keibert Ruiz, Riley Adams, Mason Thompson, Gerardo Carrillo and Donovan Casey, among others. Other notable contributors Rizzo has brought in via trade during his tenure include Nelson Cruz, Josh Bell, Gio Gonzalez, Tanner Roark, Blake Treinen, Mark Melancon, Wilson Ramos, Denard Span, Kurt Suzuki, Michael Morse, and Sean Burnett, among others.

On July 2, 2022, the Nationals exercised Rizzo's option for the 2023 season.[22]

Personal life edit

Rizzo lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife, Jodi. His son, Michael Jr. is an entrepreneur living in San Diego, Calif.

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Michael Rizzo". thebaseballcube.com. The Baseball Cube. 2019. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Mike Rizzo Minor Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. 2019. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
  3. ^ "In This World Series, It Was All About Home-Field Disadvantage". newyorktimes.com. New York Times. 2019. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
  4. ^ "Phil Rizzo Minor Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. 2019. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
  5. ^ "Phil Rizzo". thebaseballcube.com. The Baseball Cube. 2019. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Kilgore, Adam (September 29, 2012). "Mike Rizzo, the man who built the Washington Nationals". Washington Post. Retrieved October 1, 2012.
  7. ^ Driver, David (October 15, 2019). "Nationals win would be Ted Lerner's best birthday gift". washingtontimes.com. The Washington Times. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
  8. ^ Bush, Joe (August 31, 2001). "Daily Herald | Electronic Archive". nl.newsbank.com. Arlington Heights, Illinois: Daily Herald. Retrieved November 1, 2013. (subscription required)
  9. ^ "Nationals name Mike Rizzo Assistant GM and Vice President of Baseball Operations". MLB.com (Press release). July 24, 2006. Retrieved October 1, 2012.
  10. ^ "Lerner Group finalizes purchase of Washington Nationals". MLB.com (Press release). July 24, 2006. Retrieved October 1, 2012.
  11. ^ "Statement from Jim Bowden". MLB.com (Press release). March 1, 2009. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
  12. ^ "Rizzo Gets New Duties; Kasten: No Urgency for Search". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 12, 2010.
  13. ^ "Washington Nationals promote Mike Rizzo to Senior Vice President & General Manager". MLB.com (Press release). August 20, 2009. Retrieved October 1, 2012.
  14. ^ Zuckerman, Mark (October 19, 2010). "Nationals Ink Rizzo To 5-Year Extension". CSNwashington.com. Archived from the original on July 23, 2012. Retrieved October 19, 2010.
  15. ^ Kilgore, Adam (September 28, 2012). "Mike Rizzo under contract for one more guaranteed year, two club options". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
  16. ^ Schad, Tom (September 3, 2012). . The Washington Times. Archived from the original on September 4, 2012. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
  17. ^ Kilgore, Adam. "Mike Rizzo promoted to team president, given long-term extension". Washingtonpost.com. Retrieved November 1, 2013.
  18. ^ Reddington, Patrick (May 17, 2016). "Nationals Re-Up Stephen Strasburg and Mike Rizzo... so how about Bryce Harper". Federal Baseball website. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
  19. ^ Janes, Chelsea (April 5, 2018). "Nationals GM Mike Rizzo agrees to extension through 2020 season". Washington Post. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
  20. ^ Castrovince, Anthony (October 30, 2019). "Nats make road-win history, capture 1st WS title". MLB.com. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  21. ^ "Nationals sign General Manager Mike Rizzo to a three-year contract extension". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  22. ^ "Nationals exercise options on GM Mike Rizzo, manager Dave Martinez". theathletic.com. Retrieved May 12, 2023.

External links edit

  • Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference (Minors)

March 06, 2024
mike, rizzo, baseball, this, article, about, baseball, executive, mike, rizzo, michael, anthony, rizzo, born, december, 1960, american, baseball, front, office, executive, president, baseball, operations, general, manager, washington, nationals, major, league,. This article is about the baseball executive For the DJ see Mike Rizzo Michael Anthony Rizzo born December 14 1960 is an American baseball front office executive who is the president of baseball operations and general manager of the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball MLB 1 Mike RizzoRizzo in 2022Washington NationalsPresident and general manager of baseball operationsBorn 1960 12 14 December 14 1960 age 63 Chicago Illinois U S TeamsAs executive Chicago White SoxScout Boston Red SoxScout Arizona Diamondbacks 1998 1999 Scout Arizona Diamondbacks 2000 2006 Scouting director Washington Nationals 2007 2008 Assistant general manager Washington Nationals 2009 2012 General manager Washington Nationals 2013 present President of baseball operations and general managerCareer highlights and awardsWorld Series champion 2019 After a brief playing career in minor league baseball 2 Rizzo transitioned into coaching and scouting He became the director of scouting for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2000 Rizzo joined the Nationals in 2006 as an assistant general manager He succeeded Jim Bowden as the Nationals general manager in 2009 and was promoted to team president in 2013 Rizzo and the Nationals won the franchise s first World Series in 2019 defeating the Houston Astros in seven games 3 Contents 1 Early life 2 Early career 3 Washington Nationals 4 Personal life 5 References 6 External linksEarly life editRizzo a third generation scout grew up in Chicago as one of four children to Phil and Bernadine Rizzo His father Phil was a former minor league baseball player 4 who drove a truck for the city and scouted for the California Angels on a part time basis The Angels eventually made Phil a full time scout as many of the players he identified reached the majors 5 6 After 50 years in professional baseball Phil was eventually part of the inaugural induction class that entered the Professional Baseball Scouts Hall of Fame in 2008 7 Phil continued his scouting career with the Nationals as a senior advisor to the GM until his passing on February 1 2020 Mike Rizzo s grandfather Vito was a semi pro player before founding the family business scouting Rizzo attended Holy Cross High School in River Grove Illinois Triton College and Saint Xavier University where he played college baseball for the Triton Trojans and Saint Xavier Cougars 2 1 8 Early career editThe Angels drafted Rizzo in the 22nd round with the 554th overall selection in the 1982 Major League Baseball Draft 6 He played for the Salem Angels Class A Short Season Peoria Suns Class A and Redwood Pioneers Class A Advanced from 1982 to 1984 After the 1984 season the Angels released Rizzo His father suggested that he was not skilled enough to reach the major leagues and advised he attend college 6 Rizzo became an assistant coach at the University of Illinois while earning a Bachelor of Arts in Communications in 1988 6 Larry Himes the scout who drafted Rizzo became the general manager of the Chicago White Sox and he hired Rizzo as a scout for the Upper Midwest region While with the White Sox Rizzo signed 2014 Hall of Fame inductee and two time American League MVP Frank Thomas 6 He also scouted for the Boston Red Sox Rizzo joined the Arizona Diamondbacks when the franchise was created in 1998 and served as the director of scouting for the Diamondbacks from 2000 to 2006 He helped transform the Diamondbacks farm system with exceptionally successful drafts Following the 2005 campaign Rizzo was promoted to Vice President of Scouting Operations That same year the Diamondbacks were named Topps Organization of the Year Rizzo earned a World Series ring with Arizona in 2001 and the organization brought an astounding number of homegrown players through to the Major Leagues during his tenure Brandon Webb 2006 Cy Young Award winner Carlos Gonzalez Chad Tracy Justin Upton Stephen Drew Dan Uggla Micah Owings Tony Pena Mark Reynolds Conor Jackson Miguel Montero Chris Snyder Carlos Quentin Max Scherzer and Brett Anderson were all signed by Arizona under Rizzo s watch Washington Nationals editSeeking to replace Joe Garagiola Jr as the Diamondbacks general manager the team chose Josh Byrnes over Rizzo 6 As a result Rizzo joined the Washington Nationals organization when he was appointed assistant general manager and vice president of baseball operations by Jim Bowden on July 24 2006 9 This move coincided with the franchise s ownership transfer from Major League Baseball to a Washington D C based investment group headed by Ted Lerner 10 Three days after Bowden s sudden resignation on March 1 2009 11 Rizzo was promoted to general manager on an interim basis by team president Stan Kasten 12 He was named the full time senior vice president and general manager on August 20 2009 13 On October 19 2010 Rizzo signed a five year contract extension and was promoted to executive vice president of baseball operations and general manager 14 The last two years of this contract were club options 15 On June 24 2021 at Miami the Nationals beat the Marlins 7 3 marking Rizzo s 1 000th win as general manager since taking over the club during 2009 Spring Training In doing so he became the ninth active president of baseball operations and general manager to reach the 1 000 win mark and the sixth active to do it with one team Since 2012 the Nationals have the fifth best regular season record in Major League Baseball over this span behind only the Los Angeles Dodgers New York Yankees St Louis Cardinals and Cleveland Guardians The Nationals have had success under Rizzo winning a World Series in 2019 and four National League East titles 2012 2014 2016 2017 during his tenure In April 2022 Rizzo was inducted into the Triton College Alumni Wall of Fame In December 2021 he was named the Italian American Baseball Foundation Executive of the Year After winning the World Series in 2019 he was named Executive of the Year by Baseball America and the Boston Chapter of the BBWAA The Boston Chapter of the BBWAA also honored him with the same award following the 2012 season He also garnered Executive of the Year honors in 2012 from the Pitch and Hit Club of Chicago which followed 2011 Man of the Year honors from the Lido Civic Club of Washington D C In November of 2009 Rizzo convinced Davey Johnson to sign on as senior advisor and help revamp the Nationals on field operations In June of 2011 Rizzo appointed him field manager and Johnson led the team to its first playoff appearance and through the 2013 season On December 5 2010 Rizzo signed right fielder Jayson Werth to a seven year contract that immediately changed the perception of the Nationals One year later Rizzo signed franchise cornerstone Ryan Zimmerman to a six year contract extension From 2009 to 2012 Rizzo s Nationals won at least 10 more games than the season prior 59 wins in 2009 69 in 10 80 in 11 98 in 12 The last team to do this was the Boston Red Sox from 1906 to 1909 making the Nationals the first team in over 100 years to complete such a feat without the benefit of an artificially deflated win total associated with a work stoppage Rizzo shut down ace pitcher Stephen Strasburg late in the 2012 season as he recovered from Tommy John surgery from the year before 16 The Nationals promoted Rizzo to president of baseball operations during the 2013 season 17 To strengthen the rotation before the 2015 season Rizzo signed ace pitcher Max Scherzer to a seven year contract introducing him on January 21 2015 In December 2015 Rizzo pulled off a three team trade that netted shortstop Trea Turner and right handed pitcher Joe Ross from the San Diego Padres and sent outfielder Steven Souza Jr to the Tampa Bay Rays With the 2016 Baseball Winter Meetings taking place at nearby National Harbor Md Rizzo acquired outfielder Adam Eaton from the White Sox in exchange for prospects Lucas Giolito Reynaldo Lopez and Dane Dunning In 2016 the team picked up its option to extend Rizzo s contract through the 2018 season 18 With Washington ahead in the division by nearly 10 0 games following the 2017 All Star break Rizzo got a jump on the trade market on July 16 fortifying Washington s bullpen by acquiring relievers Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson from the Oakland Athletics On July 28 he acquired veteran position player Howie Kendrick from the Philadelphia Phillies Moments before the July 31 deadline Rizzo further added to the bullpen with the acquisition of Minnesota Twins reliever Brandon Kintzler On April 5 2018 Rizzo signed a contract extension through the 2020 season 19 When Kendrick went down with an Achilles injury on May 19 2018 Rizzo promoted19 year old outfield prospect Juan Soto to the Major Leagues After 11 seasons as the head of Washington s baseball operations Rizzo s team won the 2019 World Series defeating the Houston Astros in seven games 20 Rizzo s contract was then extended through 2023 giving him a raise above his 4 million per year salary 21 In a span of roughly 26 hours from July 29 30 2021 Rizzo and the Washington Nationals acquired 12 players via six trades around the trade deadline Those 12 players included Josiah Gray Keibert Ruiz Riley Adams Mason Thompson Gerardo Carrillo and Donovan Casey among others Other notable contributors Rizzo has brought in via trade during his tenure include Nelson Cruz Josh Bell Gio Gonzalez Tanner Roark Blake Treinen Mark Melancon Wilson Ramos Denard Span Kurt Suzuki Michael Morse and Sean Burnett among others On July 2 2022 the Nationals exercised Rizzo s option for the 2023 season 22 Personal life editRizzo lives in Washington D C with his wife Jodi His son Michael Jr is an entrepreneur living in San Diego Calif References edit a b Michael Rizzo thebaseballcube com The Baseball Cube 2019 Retrieved October 30 2019 a b Mike Rizzo Minor Leagues Statistics amp History Baseball Reference com Sports Reference LLC 2019 Retrieved October 30 2019 In This World Series It Was All About Home Field Disadvantage newyorktimes com New York Times 2019 Retrieved October 30 2019 Phil Rizzo Minor Leagues Statistics amp History Baseball Reference com Sports Reference LLC 2019 Retrieved October 30 2019 Phil Rizzo thebaseballcube com The Baseball Cube 2019 Retrieved October 30 2019 a b c d e f Kilgore Adam September 29 2012 Mike Rizzo the man who built the Washington Nationals Washington Post Retrieved October 1 2012 Driver David October 15 2019 Nationals win would be Ted Lerner s best birthday gift washingtontimes com The Washington Times Retrieved October 30 2019 Bush Joe August 31 2001 Daily Herald Electronic Archive nl newsbank com Arlington Heights Illinois Daily Herald Retrieved November 1 2013 subscription required Nationals name Mike Rizzo Assistant GM and Vice President of Baseball Operations MLB com Press release July 24 2006 Retrieved October 1 2012 Lerner Group finalizes purchase of Washington Nationals MLB com Press release July 24 2006 Retrieved October 1 2012 Statement from Jim Bowden MLB com Press release March 1 2009 Retrieved September 4 2012 Rizzo Gets New Duties Kasten No Urgency for Search The Washington Post Retrieved May 12 2010 Washington Nationals promote Mike Rizzo to Senior Vice President amp General Manager MLB com Press release August 20 2009 Retrieved October 1 2012 Zuckerman Mark October 19 2010 Nationals Ink Rizzo To 5 Year Extension CSNwashington com Archived from the original on July 23 2012 Retrieved October 19 2010 Kilgore Adam September 28 2012 Mike Rizzo under contract for one more guaranteed year two club options The Washington Post Retrieved October 3 2012 Schad Tom September 3 2012 Johnson Rizzo weigh in on Stephen Strasburg s shutdown The Washington Times Archived from the original on September 4 2012 Retrieved September 4 2012 Kilgore Adam Mike Rizzo promoted to team president given long term extension Washingtonpost com Retrieved November 1 2013 Reddington Patrick May 17 2016 Nationals Re Up Stephen Strasburg and Mike Rizzo so how about Bryce Harper Federal Baseball website Retrieved August 2 2016 Janes Chelsea April 5 2018 Nationals GM Mike Rizzo agrees to extension through 2020 season Washington Post Retrieved April 5 2018 Castrovince Anthony October 30 2019 Nats make road win history capture 1st WS title MLB com Retrieved October 31 2019 Nationals sign General Manager Mike Rizzo to a three year contract extension Washington Post ISSN 0190 8286 Retrieved May 18 2021 Nationals exercise options on GM Mike Rizzo manager Dave Martinez theathletic com Retrieved May 12 2023 External links edit nbsp Baseball portalCareer statistics and player information from Baseball Reference Minors Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Mike Rizzo baseball amp oldid 1197522357, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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