Minniti joins D-backs, Zimmermann keeps improving

Bryan Minniti has found a new home, as the Diamondbacks have announced that the former Nationals front office man has joined Arizona's organization as an assistant general manager. Minniti spent the last five years with the Nats as an assistant GM under Mike Rizzo, before announcing that he was leaving the organization just a few days after the Nats were knocked out of the postseason. Minniti was a well-liked member of the Nats' front office, and assisted with everything in the baseball operations department from contract negotiations to player transactions to budgeting to making sure the Nationals were compliant with league rules. He'll now be a part of a re-worked Diamondbacks front office that features Tony LaRussa as the team's new Chief Baseball Officer and former big league pitcher Dave Stewart as the new general manager. As I wrap up the five-day stretch of highlighting some of the most impressive individual performers on the Nats' roster this season, I had a tough decision on who to cover on this Friday morning. I narrowed it down to two options - Denard Span and Jordan Zimmermann, both of whom really put together nice 2014 campaigns. Not an easy call. But I discussed Span and his strong season in detail last week, so let's discuss Zimmermann's 2014 accomplishments today. The right-hander continued to show that he's one of the top starters in the majors, posting a 2.66 ERA over 32 starts this season, going 14-5 on the year and making the All-Star team for the second straight season. He came up just a single out shy of reaching the 200-inning mark for a second consecutive year, but while Zimmermann didn't top his 2013 innings load, he set career-bests in other categories. Zimmermann walked just 1.3 batters per nine innings (tops among all National League starters) had a 1.072 WHIP (ninth-best in the majors), and struck out 8.2 batters per nine, an increase of nearly a strikeout and a half from last season. Advanced metrics also rated Zimmermann highly this season; his 2.68 FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) ranked second among all qualified NL starters, behind just Clayton Kershaw, and his 5.2 WAR ranked 10th among all qualified major league starters. Zimmermann was impressive all season long, really, (he allowed more than four runs in a start just twice) but he finished the season on a tear. His final 12 outings were all quality starts, and he posted a 1.87 ERA in that time. The Nats won Zimmermann's last 11 starts, with the right-hander himself getting the decision in eight of them. Over his final three outings, Zimmermann allowed just one run in 21 2/3 innings, striking out 19 and walking two. His last start of the regular season, of course, was the magical no-hitter in which Zimmermann breezed through the Marlins, getting some help from Steven Souza Jr. along the way. And then there's Zimmermann's postseason start, in which he was just one out away from a complete-game shutout of the Giants. Zimmermann still, in my eyes, doesn't get the league-wide recognition or attention that he deserves. Part of that might be his reserved nature and desire to stay out of the spotlight. Part of it might be that he pitches in a rotation with Stephen Strasburg, Doug Fister and Gio Gonzalez, big names who get more attention across the baseball landscape. But Zimmermann kept plugging along this season, kept improving and kept showcasing himself as one of the most effective starters in the game.