WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Current National Ryan Zimmerman has been on the team since he was drafted in 2005.
He's the lone remaining National who played on the team while Frank Robinson was manager.
Robinson died on February 7, after a battle with bone cancer.
During Nationals spring training in West Palm Beach, Florida, Zimmerman spoke about Robinson as a father figure.
“He took me under his wing,” says ZImmerman. “At time treated me kind of tough. A few years later I realized why he was doing that. He taught me how to be a professional and a leader.”
Robinson finished his stint with the Expos-Nationals, his longest as a manager with any team, with a record of 385-425.
During Robinson’s final season in 2006, Zimmerman can recall the legendary manager playing a trick on him.
“Frank told me he was going to give me the next day off,” remembers Zimmerman.
Robinson began to walk away from a then 21-year-old Zimmerman.
Zimmerman told his manager, “I don’t need the day off. I’ve come this far, I’m going to play the rest of them.”
The Nationals first baseman says Robinson said, “I just wanted to see what you would say. I wanted you to beg me to play. I wanted to see what kind of guy you were.”
That was just one of the many tricks and lesson’s Frank Robinson taught his players.
Zimmerman plans to use some of the same lessons to teach his daughters Mackenzie and Hayden.