Longtime Nationals star Ryan Zimmerman announced his retirement Tuesday, ending a decorated career in which he became the franchise leader in many major categories and boosted the team to its only World Series championship.
The veteran infielder issued a statement via CAA Baseball in which he thanked the Nationals’ front office, managers and coaches, athletic trainers and medical staff, teammates, his agents and his family.
“When we first met I was a 20-year-old kid fresh out of the University of Virginia,” he wrote. “I had no idea how unbelievable the next 17 years of my life were going to be.”
The Nationals took Zimmerman with their first pick in the 2005 draft (fourth overall) soon after the team moved from Montreal to Washington. He retires as the Nationals’ career leader in games (1,799), runs (963), hits (1,846), total bases (3,159), doubles (417), home runs (284) and RBIs…
