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In accepting the Baseball Writers' Association of America's award for National League Manager of the Year last night, Washington Nationals' manager Matt Williams stressed that it was a win for the entire organization.
"It's a great moment for our guys," Williams said. "It takes a village... the staff was there in tact, they brought me in as a new manager, let me know about the players, the players dictated how they wanted to play this game.
"They're ferocious and they're intense and they do not relent and I got a chance to stand in the dugout and watch it. So, this is a testament to our organization, starting at the top with the Lerner family and Mike Rizzo and his staff.
"It's a testament to our everyday coaches, who probably are the hardest working guys I've ever been around and certainly to the guys who catch it, field it and hit it."
"I rely on Randy Knorr," Williams explained to the MLB Network hosts who asked about the challenges he and his staff overcame. "I rely on Steve McCatty. Our two base coaches, Tony Tarasco and Bobby Henley, were phenomenal. Matt LeCroy did a great job with our bullpen."
"Rick Schu was phenomenal with our guys in trying to be more [offensively] efficient," Williams continued, "and of course we added a seventh coach in Mark Weidemaier [who] was great with our defensive preparation.
"So I think, as a whole, if I could give it to everybody I would, because these guys really made my transition easy, they're a fantastic group of coaches and I'm honored to be on the field with them."
This morning, the Nationals announced that the entire coaching staff would return for the 2015 campaign:
The #Nats announce the return of their entire coaching staff for the 2015 season: http://t.co/cvCeDtP1q7
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) November 12, 2014