Could Jim Riggleman Make a Major League Comeback?

Is there any room for reprieve when it comes to baseball and quitters?

That’s the question a recent post at Sports on Earth raised after catching up with Jim Riggleman, who quit as manager of the Washington Nationals in 2011 when the team declined to give him a contract extension.

At the moment, Riggleman manages the Louisville Bats (an affiliate of the Cinncinati Reds). He told Sports on Earth that he regrets quitting the Nats and said starting at a “low level” of the minors might be a way of getting back to the majors.

"As I've told many people, it wasn't the smart thing to do," Riggleman said. "But it was thought out and it had been going for awhile, but it wasn't the smart decision. But I thought it was the right decision. That's the consequences sometimes. Things don't work out perfectly as you hope. I got to live with my decision."

Read the full post at SportsonEarth.com.

Riggleman grew up in Rockville, where he was a standout at Richard Montgomery High School before going on to Frostburg State College.

Following a short minor league career, Riggleman became a coach and then a manager. He posted a 522-652 record over nine seasons as manager of the San Diego Padres, Chicago Cubs and Seattle Mariners, Patch reported.

Riggleman returned to the Washington metropolitan area as a bench coach for the Nationals in 2009. He took over managerial duties on an interim basis on July 14, 2009 after the club fired Manny Acta. The Nationals were a major league-worst 26-61 at the time.

Under Riggleman, the club finished the year 33-42, Patch reported.

Riggleman led the Nationals to a 140-172 record in just under two years at the helm.