Toward the end of a press conference marking the end of his playing career after 11 seasons in the major leagues, five of them with the Nationals, Sean Doolittle wondered what the next chapter of his professional career would look like. I was asked if so.
“I thought about it a lot,” the 37-year-old southpaw said. , so I’ve had time to think about that as well — but what I keep coming back to is, “I may be done playing baseball, but I don’t know if I’m done playing baseball.” I still have a lot of passion and energy for baseball. I’ve learned and experienced so much throughout my life, especially everything I’ve learned over the last 3-4-5 years to continue my career. As I progressed through my career, I discovered myself — working with other players and helping younger players the same way they helped me when I was coming up in the league. I feel like I gained a great sense of fulfillment by trying to do so. I got a great sense of fulfillment from that experience, so I’m not sure what my specific role will be, but I want to give back to the game.
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“This game has done so much for me and I want to give back to the game and continue to help the younger generation of players.”
Washington described his role as “…a liaison between the analytics department and the pitching staff; [who will assist] [Nats’ manager Davey Martinez] and pitching coach [Jim Hickey] When the Nationals announced Tuesday afternoon that they had hired Doolittle as a “pitching strategist,” they talked about strategy, mental preparation and mechanics.
“Sean Doolittle has always been a very talented pitcher,” Nationals president of baseball operations and general manager Mike Rizzo said in a press release about Doolittle’s new job.
“But he’s also one of the brightest minds in baseball. We’re very excited to have him on our staff and coach our talented group of young pitchers.”
“I cannot thank the Lerner family, Mike Rizzo and Davey Martinez enough for what they have done for me and my family,” Doolittle said in the same press release.
“I love the Nationals and Washington, D.C., and am looking forward to this new challenge while remaining an active member of an organization that means so much to me.”
Doolittle was drafted in the first round (41st overall) by the Oakland Athletics in 2007.as a first baseman), but he turned to relief work. [Doolittle] He made his MLB debut in 2012 after taking the mound in just 17 games as a professional. ”
In 11 seasons in the majors, the left-hander played in 463 games, had 112 saves, and posted a 3.20 ERA and 2.94 FIP.
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Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images
Doolittle is the 2019 world seriesBut injuries plagued him over the years, and after a final attempt to return to a mound in the majors last season, he finally decided to call it a career.
When he officially retired in September, he explained, “I’ve spent the last two years working hard to rehabilitate myself so I can pitch again here at Natts Park.”
“I did the best I could and I think that’s why today is a happy day for me. I have no regrets, I did the best I could and I had fun.
“The process of working on that and trying to change the mechanics to find a way to be effective while reducing stress on the knee was fun, and it was fun working with the young players that are there.” It is very fun. So I was still getting a lot of fulfillment and having fun, but unfortunately in the end my body just wouldn’t allow me to keep doing it. ”
His body may not be able to do it, but the Nationals believe Doolittle still has something to offer in his baseball mind.
