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The Nationals haven’t been too competitive on the field since winning the World Series in 2019. Over the last six seasons, they’ve finished last in the National League East five times and fourth once.
The new front office is tasked with changing that. And although it may take some time, the new people in charge are using their own competitive drive to get the Nats back to the top of the baseball world.
President of baseball operations Paul Toboni has said when the Nationals get to where he wants them to be on all fronts – major league team, player development, drafting and scouting – they will be “the envy of all sports.” A highly competitive approach is needed to accomplish that.
The Nats may not always like what they see on the actual and metaphorical scoreboards, but they aren’t going to ignore it so they know where they need to improve in order to win on and off the field.
“We're going to try as hard as we can to create a scoreboard,” Toboni said to a huddle of local media after his introductory press conference in October. “So if I'm working in player development, we want to know how much better or worse we are at developing players than other organizations. And that's tricky at times to really come up with a scoreboard, but that's the mindset that we want to have.”
As Toboni also put it, “you can’t play one-on-one without keeping score.”
Toboni has also searched for an equally competitive drive in the people he’s hired around him in Washington’s front office.
New general manager Anirudh Kilambi, while of course being highly qualified for the job after spending years working his way up the Rays and Phillies organizational ladders, has a burning desire to be great.
Toboni has a World Series ring with the Red Sox in 2018. Kilambi, who has been a part of seven straight postseason trips and two pennant-winning runs between Tampa Bay and Philadelphia, has not yet reached that pinnacle. And he is very much aware of that, using his competitiveness to drive him in hopes of leading the Nationals back to the mountain top.
“I'm naturally very competitive, some might argue unhealthily so,” Kilambi said during his introductory Zoom meeting with reporters last month. “But at the same time baseball has a way of putting fuel on that fire. Over the last few years, I've been really fortunate to be a part of organizations that have made the postseason and made the World Series twice. But I have not been a part of a World Series-winning club. I have been disappointed seven years in a row, and that, in and of itself, creates a deep burning desire to do better.”
It wasn’t just those seven years of falling short that sparked Kilambi’s competitiveness. He can trace it all the way back to his youth in the San Francisco Bay area.
“I think that obviously goes back to childhood, too,” he explained. “Like I remember when Redwood Middle School beat us at tennis, and I was there. I had to experience being the losing team, and that essentially ended my middle school tennis career. Those things stick with you. And like I said, maybe it's unhealthy, but I do think it creates a long history of competitiveness.”
It’s a trait that doesn't show up on a résumé, but one that Toboni clearly looked for when filling out his front office. Like Toboni (and others), Kilambi has an obsession with winning.
“We are thrilled to welcome Ani as our general manager, a leader with a bright mind and a relentless curiosity for understanding the game at its deepest levels,” Toboni said when introducing Kilambi. “Ani’s obsession with continuous learning and improvement shows up daily in how thoughtfully he approaches decisions and challenges. And just as important he brings a genuine humility that elevates those around him and keeps the focus on shared success, on team success rather than individual credit. His perspective, his experiences, energy and values make him a natural complement to our group. And we are better off having him on board.”
Now the trick is turning that competitive drive into wins on the diamond.
