Nationals add Sean Doolittle to staff as pitching strategist

The Washington Nationals on Tuesday added All-Star and World Series champion pitcher Sean Doolittle to their staff as a Pitching Strategist. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement.

In this role, Doolittle will serve as a liaison between the analytics department and pitching staff, while assisting the manager and pitching coach with strategy, mental preparation and mechanics.

“Sean Doolittle was always an extremely talented pitcher, but he is also one of the most intelligent baseball minds you can find,” said Rizzo. “We’re incredibly excited to have him on our staff to help guide our talented group of young pitchers.”

“I can’t thank the Lerner family, Mike Rizzo and Davey Martinez enough for all they’ve done for me and my family,” Doolittle said. “I love the Nationals and Washington D.C., and look forward to this new challenge while remaining an active member of an organization that means so much to me.”

Doolittle, 37, spent six seasons with the Nationals, retiring in 2023 after an 11-year Major League career. The hard-throwing left-handed reliever instantly became a staple of Washington’s bullpen, clubhouse and community after joining the club in July 2017 and ranks tied for third in Nationals history (2005-pres.) with 75 saves. His 153 relief appearances are second most by a Nationals pitcher since 2017 and 13th most in Nationals history (2005-pres.).

Doolittle began his career with the Oakland Athletics, where he was selected in the first round of the 2007 First-Year Player Draft from the University of Virginia. Doolittle was originally taken as a first baseman before converting to the relief role and made his MLB debut in 2012 after just 17 professional games on the mound.

A 2019 World Series champion, Doolittle finished his career 26-24 with 112 saves, a 3.20 ERA and 522 strikeouts in 450.2 Major League innings for the A’s (2012-17), Nationals (2017-20, 2022-23), Reds (2021) and Mariners (2021) before announcing his retirement last fall.