The Washington Nationals youth movement is moving full steam ahead. They hire Philadelphia Phillies assistant general manager Ani Kilambi, 31, as the team’s new general manager, as reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan on Wednesday.
The Phillies hired Kilambi from the highly respected Tampa Bay Rays front office when he was just 27 years old. Kilambi later oversaw the Phillies’ research and development department.
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Now he will team up with Paul Toboni, Nationals president of baseball operations, 35 to help Blake Butera, 33-year-old manager turning around an organization that won the World Series in 2019 but hasn’t made the playoffs — or won more than 71 games — in a season since.
Washington finished last in the NL East last season with a modest 66-96 record. In July, the Nationals moved from general manager Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez.
One positive aspect of this season has been the continued emergence of outfielder James Wood, who made his first All-Star team in his sophomore season at just 22 years old. He collected 31 home runs and 94 RBIs. He could be a mainstay on the Nationals’ roster for years to come, as could shortstop CJ Abrams, another return from the Juan Soto trade in 2022. Abrams, 25, was an All-Star in 2024 and increased his OPS to .748 in 2025.
Wood and Abrams are at the forefront of a collection of young talent that Washington has at its disposal. This pool also includes 2025 No. 1 overall pick, Eli Willitsalthough he is only 18 years old, so it could be a few years before he gets called up to the majors.
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The point is the Nats have plenty of young people. This is also relatively true for their front office and managerial leadership. This way Kilambi will fit in perfectly.
He started with the Rays in 2015, even before graduating from UC Berkeley with a double major in statistics, operations research and management science, and spent seven seasons in Tampa.
The Rays have developed a reputation as a leader in analytics over the years. They are known for getting the most out of every dollar on a tight budget. Kilambi, according to MLB.comreceived credit from team executives for helping build a powerful bullpen comprised of a hodgepodge of relievers who played a significant role in the Rays’ 2020 AL pennant run.
Kilambi was then tasked with applying his skills to a Phillies organization that, despite a much higher payroll, was lagging in the analytics department. He had made up some ground by the time Kilambi arrived, but his job was to further develop the Phillies’ R&D department, as well as improve its use of data.
His latest challenge will be his biggest yet.
