MLB Scout Shares Hilarious Quote on Football-Like Appearance of Nationals Rotation
There has been a lot of attention given to the positional players on the Washington Nationals during spring training and rightfully so.
They have an impressive young core that is developing and if the team is going to make any noise in 2025, it will be courtesy of their development.
Left fielder James Wood and right fielder Dylan Crews both have star potential and will be counted on to elevate the performance of everyone around them. Shortstop CJ Abrams already has one All-Star nomination under his belt and second baseman Luis Garcia Jr. had a breakout in 2024.
But, the best thing that MLB insider Jeff Passan of ESPN has heard in spring training pertains to the team’s pitching staff.
“‘The Nationals' starters look like an offensive line," said a scout who noted that GM Mike Rizzo certainly has a type,” Passan shared.
If Washington was looking to play the intimidation game on the mound, they are succeeding.
Jake Irvin is the tallest of the projected starting rotation, measuring 6-foot-6 and 234 pounds. The closest to him in weight is Trevor Williams, who is 6-foot-3 and 231 pounds.
Two players who are shorter, Michael Soroka and Mitchell Parker, both outweigh Irvin.
The veteran free agent is listed at 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, looking excellent this spring with some increased velocity on his pitches. This is the closest he has looked to his rookie campaign with the Atlanta Braves when he had a 2.68 ERA over 174.2 innings.
Parker tips the scales at 239 pounds.
As the MLB insider noted, Mike Rizzo seems to have a type when he is evaluating pitching prospects because there even more gargantuan pitchers working their way through the minor league system.
Two of their top prospects, Jarlin Susana and Travis Sykora, are both listed at 6-foot-6 and 235 pounds with the kind of frames that will allow them to continue packing on muscle and weight as they develop and fill out.
While none of the pitchers currently in the starting rotation currently are flamethrowers, Susana takes full advantage of his frame with incredible velocity on his pitches.
He has had a few standout performances this spring, with his sinker reaching an average of 101.7 mph with an insane 170 proStuff+ score in an outing against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Once he starts honing his control, as he has bouts of wildness at times, he is going to become an even tougher pitcher to perform against.
