Report: Nationals will hire Bud Black as manager
Former San Diego Padres manager Bud Black will be the Washington Nationals’ next manager, the Washington Post reported Wednesday.
According to the newspaper, an announcement isn’t immediately forthcoming because Major League Baseball doesn’t like teams diverting attention from the World Series.
The Padres entered the 2015 season with high expectations after making numerous moves last winter, but they were 32-33 when they fired Black in mid-June. The team went on to finish 74-88.
In 8 1/2 seasons with San Diego, Black posted a 649-713 record (.477), never guiding the team to the postseason. Only once during his tenure did the Padres finish higher than second place in the National League West, when they went 90-72 and came in second in 2010. That year, Black was selected the National League Manager of the Year.
Black, 58, previously served as pitching coach for the Anaheim/Los Angeles Angels, helping guide the team to the 2012 World Series title.
In his playing days, Black was a left-handed pitcher for the Seattle Mariners, Kansas City Royals, Cleveland Indians, Toronto Blue Jays and San Francisco Giants from 1981 to 1995. He compiled a 121-115 record with 11 saves and a 3.84 ERA in 398 games (296 starts). His best season was 1984 for the Royals, when he went 17-12 with a 3.12 ERA and a league-leading 1.128 walks-and-hits-per-inning-pitched ratio in 35 starts.
The Nationals fired Matt Williams the day after completing an 83-79 season. Williams was the NL Manager of the Year in 2014, when he guided Washington to the NL East title with a 96-66 record in his debut season.
