A pair of Washington Nationals were recognized among the next batch of rising executives across the MLB heading into the offseason
The Washington Nationals are closing the book on the 2026 regular season with the front office set to answer a long list of questions as the front office analyzes the returns of the moves mades through year one. As the group looks to begin plotting for the year two additions, two Nationals were recognized among the top rising executives across baseball.
In a report that analyzed who among MLB executives would be on a short list of candidates to lead a front office, the Nationals saw two of their own recognized by 24 current MLB executives.
Assistant general manager Justin Horowitz drew two votes, while general manager Ani Kilambi also drew one vote.
Horowitz's hire first broke exactly one month after Paul Toboni was named the new president of baseball operations, giving the Nationals another fast riser within the organization. Horowitz previously served as the director of amateur scouting for the Pittsburgh Pirates, but he's now back in a role under Toboni. The two previously worked together during their time with the Boston Red Sox when they both served as area scouts before Horowitz moved into a special assistant within the scouting department in 2019 while Toboni was named director of amateur scouting. Horowitz then left for his role with the Pirates in Nov. 2023 while Toboni was named senior vice president and assistant general manager, giving the Nationals plenty of familiarity.
Kilambi, meanwhile, joined the organization in Jan. 2026 after a stint with the Philadelphia Phillies where he served as the assistant general manager for just over four years. The Stanford grad, like Toboni, made a name for himself in the analytics department over his five seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays before focusing on expanding the Phillies' department when he first arrived. That commitment has remained a point of emphasis into his tenure with the Nationals.
Kilambi, Horowitz and Toboni will now be part of a front office that is tasked with answering multiple questions about how to upgrade a pitching staff that officially clinched the MLB blown save record with, at the time, over two weeks left in the regular season. With the Nationals nearing an extension with Cade Cavalli to team up with Connelly Early as part of the foundation beginning in 2027, the duo will look to be part of the turnaround with all eyes on what year two of the Blake Butera era blossoms into.
