The 37-year-old totally hooks it up with the resume: More home workouts (284) , He hits (1,846), RBI (1,061(and matches played)1799He wears the national dress more than any other player. Eleven Ornamental debrisIncluding The one that baptized the Nationals Park in 2008. Seventeen years with the same team is an achievement of his own, achieving what Zimmerman loved in one of his idols, Cal Ripken Jr., and his name and face are synonymous with an entire organization.
More than anything else, this is what Zimmerman built in Washington. This is the legacy he left behind.
Today, Ryan announces his retirement from baseball. We are very proud and honored with what Ryan has done on and off the field, and we are excited about what will happen next. This is a message from employee number 11. pic.twitter.com/xzB4zesD6F
– ziMS Foundation (ziMSFoundation) February 15 2022
“At this point in my career, it’s not about making money,” he said. “Appreciating the amount of time it takes to put things behind the scenes is what keeps me still successful in the field that people don’t really know about. And it’s worth it if you have a chance to win the World Championship.
“For me, with the four kids at home now, it’s kind of like: I’ve accomplished a lot. I’ve accomplished more than I ever wanted to achieve. At this point, do I really have the motivation and 100 percent commitment to do all the extracurricular things? Which do I expect myself to play?”
In his final season, Zimmerman was the first part-time baseman to appear at 110, hitting 14 homeowners and not making it to the injured list. His output was above average by league standards. It seems to be more left.
But as the year ends, after the Patriots Pressing the reset button on the trade deadlineZimmermann could glimpse the other side. He wasn’t sure of his decision when the end of the season arrived. The night before, as he prepared for everything the team had planned, he told his wife, Heather, that he didn’t want to accept the cult of an entire city and then change his mind.
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“I don’t know if I want to do anything tomorrow,” Zimmerman remembered telling her. “If I end up going back and they do something for me, I’ll feel like an idiot.”
Zimmerman continued, “And she was kind of like, ‘Listen, it’s not your fault you don’t know.'” She basically told me that if you don’t do something…because she’s more connected through social media and the heartbeat of people in the stands, and frankly just fans than me. . She has a better sense for it than me, if only because I don’t do that kind of thing…”You know, Ryan? Think about it: It wouldn’t be right for you; it would be theirs.”
After the match, as the daylight faded, Zimmermann and his family chatted and took pictures next to the bowler’s hill. He was still wearing his uniform. His daughters turned the rules, and took the same route that their father took after the crush A screenshot from three rounds of Game 4 of the National League Series Against the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2019. That swing of a season that eventually spilled over to the top of the sport. This moment culminated in a career that did the same.
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“I have a unique opportunity to really be around,” said Zimmerman, who lives in Northern Virginia with Heather and their children. “My parents… my mum was a teacher; my dad worked two jobs sometimes. My dad worked until 10, 10:30 at night, and then he would be at work at 6 the next morning. So I won’t see him when I come home from school And he was going before I got up from school.
“You’re doing what you have to do for your family. And I think the more I think about it, I’m in a unique position to be around for some very important times when my kids are younger, and that seems to be more important than the 18, 19, 20 years in Major League Baseball Would I say the same if we didn’t win the World Championship in 2019? I don’t know. It’s nice that we won. It’s hard to think not. I think this was huge – everyone plays for it. For my decision, I believe my family finally deserves to host me. And not just to host me, but to host me.”
Zimmerman was never a player who sought or bathed in the spotlight. The rare outage was in November 2019, When he spoke at the team’s White House party hosted by President Donald TrumpHe thanked the president for “keeping everyone safe here in our country and continuing to make America the greatest country to live in in the world.” Zimmerman received quick backlash from part of the fan base.
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His contract and proximity to the capital meant he wouldn’t go far. Written in one of Zimmerman’s extensions is a five-year personal services contract that can take a number of forms. Zimmerman sees this as a “perfect transition” to the next stage of his life.
“If I have a free afternoon or maybe once a month, I go to one of those [nearby minor league] Zimmerman said. “I get there at 11 or 12, hang out with the guys, tell them you can ask me anything you want, stay in the game and go home.
“Whether I sit in some front office meeting and talk to some people and tell them little things that I think they can do better from a player point of view they probably don’t think it’s a big deal but it’s a big deal to the players. Whether I’m doing some TV. Whether I’m doing some radio. It gives me a period of time or a period of transition to try a lot of different things and see what I like. And most importantly, find out if I’m good at any of them.”
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Otherwise, Zimmerman will be at home raising his kids, on the golf course polishing his game and in an area you’ll celebrate forever. This effect will have nearly two decades in one place.
“I would go to the grocery store, and everyone would stop me and say like, ‘Thank you for that’ or ‘Thank you for that’ or ‘Thank you for being a role model,’” Zimmerman said. “…I feel like I don’t know why you’re thanking me—all What I did was play baseball. I have to play baseball for a job. This is the best way to put it. I should not be thanked. I feel I should thank them.”
