The reasons for his resignation were not immediately known or provided by the team. DiPuglia declined further comment. General Manager Mike Rizzo did not immediately respond to requests for comment Saturday. A team spokesman declined to comment on the matter, citing a team policy not to discuss personnel publicly. DiPuglia is one of Rizzo’s closest confidantes in the organization.
Before joining the Nationals, DiPuglia worked for the St. Louis Cardinals, San Francisco Giants and Red Sox, served as Boston’s Latin American scouting director from 2005 to 2009, a time in which he signed Hanley Ramirez, Aníbal Sánchez and Xander Bogaerts, among many others. Then when Washington needed someone to clean up its international operations, Rizzo chose DiPulgia for the task, hiring him in October 2009.
At that point, the team was embroiled in the Esmailyn “Smiley” González scandal, a problem Rizzo inherited when he took over from Jim Bowden as GM. In February 2009, a federal investigation revealed a flood of issues and forcing the Nationals to close their facility in the Dominican Republic. It was revealed that Gonzalez, a heralded shortstop, was actually Carlos Alvarez — and he was 20, not 16, when he signed for $1.4 million in 2006. Bowden resigned amid the fallout. Most of the international scouting staff has been fired. And DiPulgia, a new voice from the Red Sox, had to start from scratch.
In the first six years or so, DiPuglia and his scouts had a ton of success, most notably signing Juan Soto and Victor Robles, two-thirds of the title-winning outfield. Infielder Wilmer Difo, reliever Wander Suero and catcher Pedro Severino are other international signees who entered the majors.
DiPulgia is often credited with rebuilding the Latin American presence from the ashes. In 2019, after Washington’s World Series victory, Major League Baseball named him international scout of the year. Promotion followed and money to expand his staff. But recent classes are not as productive for the minor league system or the major league club.
Outfielder Yasel Antuna, signed for $3.85 million in 2016, struggled mightily and was removed from the 40-man roster last winter. Andry Lara, a 20-year-old pitcher signed for $1.25 million in 2019, is slow to take the next step. Shortstop Armando Cruz, signed for $3.9 million through 2021, is a strong fielder at age 19 but raises many questions about his lack of production at the plate. And aside from the big signings, the international classes don’t provide much depth for the Nationals, who have long struggled to develop their own players.
This season, Washington’s Dominican Summer League team finished 11-39 with a minus-140 run differential. That is the worst record and second worst run differential. And while some clubs split their talent between two DSL squads, the Nationals have just one, meaning they have an advantage because their top players are concentrated on one roster.
That’s not to say the pipeline is completely dead. Luis García, though toiling in the minors for now, still has 1,170 big league plate appearances at age 23. Cristhian Vaquero, the club’s top signee in 2022 – an outfielder from Cuba who they earned $4.9 million – impressing the lowly Class A Fredericksburg Nationals this season. Joan Adon, 25, is in the Nationals’ six-man rotation and is flashing her potential. Left-handed reliever Jose A. Ferrer, 23, also contributed to the majors.
DiPuglia’s resignation comes as Rizzo continues to negotiate an ownership contract extension. Like most of the front office, DiPuglia’s contract is up at the end of the season. In August, Manager Dave Martinez got his new deal, a two-year extension with a team option for a third season. And September is usually the time for staff shake-ups, either in scouting or with minor league coaches and coordinators. If nothing else, DiPuglia’s departure will lead to changes on the international side.