Ryan Zimmerman, Retired


Date of Birth: 9/28/1984
Birthplace: Washington, North Carolina
College: University of Virginia
Nickname: The Z Man

Ryan Zimmerman, retired third baseman, had a distinguished baseball record at the University of Virginia before being drafted by the Washington Nationals. He won several national awards as a collegiate player and he had a .393 average in his last year.

In 20 games in 2005 with the Nationals, Zimmerman had a .397 batting average. The following full season, Zimmerman's average dropped to .287, but he had 20 home runs, 47 doubles and 110 RBIs. Although he hit 24 home runs and had 43 doubles in 2007, his batting average dropped further to .266.

Zimmerman improved after the 2007 season and in 2009 and 2010, he won Silver Slugger awards. In 2013, he batted .275 with 156 hits, 26 doubles, 26 home runs, and 79 RBIs in 147 games. He spent much of the 2014 season on the DL, playing in just 61 games. He finished with 60 hits, 19 doubles, and a .280 batting average. In the postseason, he had 1 hit in 4 at-bats in 4 games.

In the 2009 season, Zimmerman showed his fielding talent, making just 17 errors in 154 games. His fielding efforts that year earned him a Gold Glove.

On May 19, 2015, Zimmerman hit his tenth career walk-off home run. He hit two home runs, including his 200th career home run, in a game on September 4th. He finished the 2015 season with 86 hits, 25 doubles, 16 home runs, 73 RBIs, and a .249 batting average in 95 games. As a first baseman, he made 49 assists, 63 double plays, 726 putouts, and 4 errors in 93 games.

Zimmerman played in 115 games with the Nationals in 2016. He finished the regular season with 93 hits, 18 doubles, 15 home runs, 46 RBIs, and a career low batting average of .218. He fared much better in the postseason, batting .353 with 6 hits, including 2 doubles, and 2 RBIs in 17 at-bats in 5 games.

Zimmerman had a comeback year in 2017, finishing with a .303 batting average in 144 games. He had 159 hits, 33 doubles, a career high 36 home runs, 108 RBIs, and 126 strikeouts to 44 walks. Defensively, as the Nationals' first baseman in 143 games, he made 49 assists, 100 double plays, 1,005 putouts, and 12 errors. In the postseason, he scored the winning run for the Nationals in game two of the NL division series when he hit a three run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning. He batted .150 in 20 at-bats in 5 games and he had 3 hits and 4 RBIs. He stole a base and he struck out 4 times and walked twice.

Zimmerman spent half of the 2018 season on the DL, playing in just 85 games. He finished the season with 76 hits, 21 doubles, 13 home runs, 51 RBIs, and a .264 batting average. Defensively, as the Nationals' first baseman in 73 games, he made 39 assists, 41 double plays, 538 putouts, and 2 errors.

Zimmerman was on the DL again in 2019, this time with a right foot injury. In 52 games, he had 44 hits and a .257 batting average. In the postseason, he had 55 at-bats in 16 games, 14 hits, including 3 doubles and 2 home runs, 7 RBIs, 17 strikeouts to 5 walks, and a .255 batting average.

Zimmerman became a free agent on November 2, 2019. He re-signed with the Nationals on January 28, 2020. He opted out of the 2020 season.

Zimmerman elected free agency on October 28, 2020. He re-signed with the Nationals on January 23, 2021. He finished the 2021 season with 62 hits, 16 doubles, 14 home runs, 46 RBIs, 77 strikeouts to 16 walks, and a .243 batting average in 110 games. Defensively, he played 54 games at first base.

Zimmerman became a free agent on November 3, 2021. He announced his retirement on February 15, 2022.

Batting statistics for Zimmerman for sixteen seasons in the major leagues include:

  • 7 seasons with over 150 hits, with a high of 178 in 2009
  • 6 seasons with over 30 doubles, with a high of 47 in 2006
  • 7 seasons with 20 or more home runs, with a high of 36 in 2017
  • 3 seasons with over 100 RBIs, with a high of 110 in 2006

Career batting statistics for Zimmerman through 2021 include:

  • 1,799 games played
  • 1,846 hits
  • 417 doubles
  • 284 home runs
  • 1,061 RBIs
  • 1,384 strikeouts to 646 walks
  • .277 batting average

Career fielding statistics for Zimmerman at third base through 2021 include:

  • 1,133 games played
  • 2,181 assists
  • 229 double plays
  • 853 putouts
  • 137 errors
  • .957 fielding percentage

Charitable Work

Zimmerman started the ziMS Foundation in 2006 to aid multiple sclerosis research. His mother was diagnosed with MS in 1995. Information on the foundation is available at zimsfoundation.org.

Personal Life

Zimmerman and his wife Heather were married in January, 2013.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Ryan Zimmerman
ESPN Sports - Ryan Zimmerman