Nationals’ youth movement intensifies with addition of 31-year-old general manager

The Washington Nationals have extended their youth movement from the dugout to the front office this offseason. The franchise introduced 31-year-old Anirudh Kilambi as its new general manager on Thursday. 

Mr. Kilambi is the latest wunderkind to join Washington’s brain trust after the club fired long-time manager Dave Martinez and general manager Mike Rizzo in July. 

The Nationals hired 35-year-old Paul Toboni to lead the franchise’s rebuild as president of baseball operations in October. The team added Blake Butera, 33, as manager later that month.

Mr. Kilambi joined them this week after four years with the Philadelphia Phillies. 

“Ani has earned a reputation around the industry as one of the brightest front office minds in the game,” Mr. Toboni said in a statement. “He’s not only a sharp and strategic leader who is a great communicator, but he is also thoughtful and humble and aligns with our values. Ani is an excellent complement to the leadership group we have in place, both in terms of his past experiences and who he is as a person.”

Mr. Kilambi, a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, becomes the youngest general manager in the majors. 

Age hasn’t concerned Washington’s ownership this offseason — Mr. Butera is the youngest major league manager in more than 50 years. 

The fresh faces bring an analytics-forward mindset to a franchise that hasn’t made a playoff appearance since winning the World Series in 2019. Mr. Butera most recently worked as senior director of player development for the hyper-efficient Tampa Bay Rays. 

Mr. Kilambi, who also started his career with Tampa Bay, oversaw the research and development department in Philadelphia. There, he incorporated data into the franchise’s day-to-day decision-making.

It’s a stark change for the Nationals. Fans and media members routinely criticized Mr. Rizzo for his aversion to analytics during his final years in Washington. The longtime executive removed performance analysts from the organization’s minor league dugouts last season, according to multiple reports. 

With a new crop of leaders, fans should expect Washington to embrace those data-centered edges.

“Our goal is to be the highest performing organization in baseball. To do so, we aim to exemplify our core values of joy, humility, integrity and competitiveness, while displaying sharp eyes for talent and best-in-class player development,” Mr. Kilambi said in a statement. “I’m excited to call Washington, D.C. my home and cannot wait to get started.”

The Nationals have not clarified what Mr. Kilambi’s responsibilities will entail in his new role. He will still report to Mr. Toboni, according to several reports. 

Mr. Toboni and Mr. Kilambi will look to develop an organization that features rising stars like James Wood and C.J. Abrams in the major league clubhouse and 2025 No. 1 pick Eli Willits in the farm system. 

This offseason, Washington has added catcher Harry Ford and pitcher Luis Perales through trades with the Seattle Mariners and Boston Red Sox, respectively.

The Nationals also selected Phillies pitcher Griff McGarry through the Rule 5 Draft and signed free-agent reliever Foster Griffin to a one-year, $5.5 million deal.