The Washington Nationals have named 31-year-old Anirudh Kilambi as their general manager, creating the youngest executive trio in Major League Baseball history. The announcement, made by 35-year-old president of baseball operations Paul Toboni, complements the team's youth-focused approach both on the field and in the front office. This move follows the hiring of 33-year-old Blake Butera as manager last month.
The Nationals' front office youth movement reached a new milestone on Thursday with the appointment of Anirudh "Ani" Kilambi as general manager. At 31, Kilambi joins Toboni, 35, and Butera, 33, to form the youngest president of baseball operations, GM, and manager combination in MLB. Toboni praised Kilambi in a team statement, saying, "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."
This hiring underscores the Nationals' commitment to building a dynamic, forward-thinking staff. The average age of MLB lead baseball operations executives is about 48, with San Francisco Giants' Buster Posey at 38 and Detroit Tigers' Scott Harris, born in 1987, as the next youngest. For GMs, the average is around 44, and Minnesota Twins' Jeremy Zoll, 35, is the closest peer. Butera, meanwhile, is the youngest manager after St. Louis Cardinals' Oliver Marmol, 39, with the MLB average at 50.
The Nationals also added assistant GMs Devin Pearson, 31, and Justin Horowitz, 34, this offseason. Butera's coaching staff features eight members aged 29 to 39, including 30-year-old pitching coach Simon Mathews; 50-year-old bench coach Michael Johns is the eldest. Butera addressed the youth theme at the Winter Meetings, recounting a joke about an under-40 rule but emphasizing, "We wanted to make sure the biggest thing is we bring in good people."
On the field, the Nationals ranked second-youngest in hitters (25.8 years) and pitchers (27.3) last season. Their core includes 23-year-olds James Wood, Dylan Crews, and Daylen Lile, with longest-tenured player Luis García Jr. at 25. In July, they selected 17-year-old Eli Willits first overall, the youngest No. 1 pick since Ken Griffey Jr. in 1987. Butera noted the players' mindset: "We're in the big leagues, but we're also super young. We want to continue to develop and get better. We want a staff that's going to push us to grow."
