Back in late September, I wrote an article, which can be found here, that brokedown 4 potential candidates for the Nationals vacant General Manager position. They quickly kept one of those candidates, Mike DeBartolo, in the organization as an assistant general manager, a win as he did a fine job in his short term as the teams interim GM. Then, they snagged another candidate from my list, Boston Red Sox director of amateur scouting Devin Pearson, except they were able to get him in an assistant general manager role, another victory as it kept the GM position open for another strong baseball mind.
Well, Toboni has done it again, as he brings in yet another name from my list as an assistant general manager, this one being Pittsburgh Pirates director of amateur scouting, Justin Horowitz. Horowitz has been running the draft for the Pirates for the last 2 years, and although it is difficult to judge draft classes so soon since they occured, the results so far have been stellar, as in his first draft, he selected Shortstop Konnor Griffin 9th overall, who is now one of the consensus best prospects in the sport. He also selected prep right handed pitcher Seth Hernandez 6th overall in 2025, who I believe may have the highest ceiling of anyone from that draft.
Horowitz grew up in California, but has DC roots from his 4 years at Georgetown University, where he played club baseball and got a degree in Finance. He began his career in baseball in 2012 as a Red Sox baseball operations intern, and worked his way up through the Red Sox system all the way to special assistant of amateur scouting in 2023. It was during this time he crossed paths with Toboni, and the 2 became good friends during their 9 years together in Boston. In late 2023, Horowitz joined the Pirates as their director of amateur scouting, and while time will tell how his classes turn out, it already looks like he has some impressive hits on his resume.
With the first 2 assistant general manager hirings by Paul Toboni being scouting directors, he clearly recognizes the neccessity for change on the scouting and player development side of things in the Nationals organization. To build a strong foundation like the one in place in Boston, the team needs to be able to develop its own talent rather than acquiring it from other organizations constantly, and Toboni is bringing in some of the best young minds in the sport to make that happen for the Nats.
So with 3 of the 4 candidates for the General Manager position I wrote about in the Nationals organization, just none of them as GM, the question remains; who will take the GM role for the Washington Nationals? The final name from my previou article, Brian O’Halloran, would be a strong choice for the position, as he has experience as a GM from when Chaim Bloom was in charge of baseball operations in Boston. Toboni, however, seems focused on bringing in “his” guys currently, people who fit his vision, and O’Halloran may not fit that vision due to him being an older fellow and being largely tied to a different regime.
With a figure from outside the Red Sox organization now on Toboni’s staff in DC, Horowitz could perhaps provide insight on candidates from outside Boston to be considered for the General Manager position, such as current Pirates front office members or front office people in different clubs that he has crossed paths with. While I would still expect Toboni to be looking for “his” guy again to fill the GM vacancy, it is interesting he brought in assistants who could help him fill that role first, rather than the other way around. Whatever does happen, Horowitz is an excellent addition to the front office for the Nationals, and I am already excited for the draft classes he, Toboni, and the rest of the staff put together in future years.