Quitting on the Nationals in the middle of the season made it tough for Jim Riggleman to land another prominent big-league job, but the Reds have hired the 59-year-old former Nationals, Padres, Cubs, and Mariners manager to be their new Double-A skipper.
Nothing is official yet, but Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports that Riggleman will manage the Pensacola Blue Wahoos of the Southern League, noting that he and Reds general manager Walt Jocketty “have a history together” from their time in the Cardinals’ organization.
Riggleman worked as a scout for the Giants following his resignation, which was due to contract squabbles and came with the Nationals having won 11 of 12 games. Davey Johnson, who replaced Riggleman in Washington and finished the season with a 40-43 record, was given the full-time gig last month.
Double-A is quite a step down for Riggleman, but a good year in the Southern League should put him in position to get back to the majors in 2013 as, say, a bench coach.
