Ron Washington: A Hall of Fame for Laborers
Ron Washington: A Hall of Fame for Laborers
Vincent Armanino
There is a term in baseball to describe someone who spends not just their career, but their lives in and 
around baseball. Such a person is dubbed a “baseball lifer.” Ron Washington is a person who has earned this moniker and upon the conclusion of his career in baseball should be inducted into the baseball hall of fame. This call for recognition of Washington’s career is not as prominent a position as it might appear. Many people who carry with them the “baseball lifer” label peak as cult heroes in the cities where they spent their time, but rarely receive a plaque in Cooperstown.
The reason such people don’t reach the upper echelon of recognition by Major League Baseball is because they are many and they are not often credited as the primary cause of team success. This acclaim falls on players, managers, and general managers. However, someone like Washington who has been in and around Major League Baseball since 1970, exists beyond team success and ring culture, and becomes a part of the fabric of the game itself.
Ron Washington’s pro career began when he was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in 1970. After bouncing around the minor leagues for years, he broke through on the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1977. From there he played in the majors until 1989, closing his career as a Houston Astro. Immediately after retiring, he joined the New York Mets as a special assistant, a fancy term for a former player who wants to stay in pro-ball, but doesn’t know exactly in what capacity. By 1996 he had figured it out, leaving the Mets for the Oakland Athletics to be their first base coach. For a decade he stayed with the A’s as base coach and infield instructor before becoming the manager of the Texas Rangers, where he found notable success winning back to back pennants with the team in 2010 and 2011. Although neither trip to the World Series culminated in victory, Washington continued managing the club through 
2014. He returned to the A’s for the 2015-16 season, appearing as a third base coach this time. This would be the role he would fulfill at his next step in Atlanta, where he was third base coach for the Braves when they won the World Series in 2021. The acclaim he received from players in Atlanta helped him get another managing role for the Los Angeles Angels. After two middling seasons with them, Washington now finds himself as a special instructor for the San Francisco Giants. A title that no longer carries with it a novitiate status, but ubiquity. With the Giants Washington has free reign to travel to all levels of professional ball in order to work with any and all players of his choosing. This job flexibility is recognition of the lifetime of baseball knowledge he carries with him and imparts readily to any up and coming players willing to listen. Soon to be seventy-five, Washington might not be around baseball much longer, and at the conclusion of his career will have a six decade long resume of accomplishments in and around professional baseball.
So, why should Washington end up in Cooperstown? He has over half a century as a player and coach, two pennants, and a World Series win as a base coach. Furthermore, as an infield coach he has seen numerous players win Gold Gloves (an award for best defender at a position), Silver Sluggers (an award for best hitter at a position), receive MVP votes, and at a cursory glance, been credited by players such as Eric Chavez, Miguel Tejada, Marcus Semien, and Ozzie Albies as a reason they achieved anything at the pro level. If you look up Ron Washington this minute you will find that he is the star of the San Francisco Giants Youtube channel, giving instruction to several minor leaguers.
Washington should be in the Hall of Fame because he is a teacher. On the field, not in a classroom to be sure, but who else wears as many hats, gives exuberant instruction to players who go on to win countless awards and to players who never make it to the highest level with equal aplomb. Honoring Washington is honoring the labor that happens away from the spotlight, everyday in every profession, with an eye towards excellence regardless of the praise bestowed by those outside the arena. No plaques for the Washington’s of the world has been the norm, perhaps he will be the first domino to fall that makes that this practice no longer so.