Projected Washington Nationals Rotation Adds Nick Pivetta to Young Staff
The Washington Nationals had a staff full of young pitchers break out last year, but still need another veteran presence in the locker room.
Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter recently did a prediction of what the starting rotation will look like next season, and it included the Nationals adding an underrated veteran from the Boston Red Sox.
Potential Depth Starters: RHP Cade Cavalli, RHP Joan Adon, RHP Jackson Rutledge
Cavalli has been dealing with Tommy John recovery since 2022, but came back to the mound for a short stint in the minors. He had a 2.16 ERA in 8.1 innings of work. A solid offseason and start to the year in the minors next year could lead him back to the big leagues.
Adon has always been someone with a lot of potential, but has not been able to stick in the majors.
Rutledge has a large frame but has also been able to find his footing. He'll be one of the top guys they call on if they need an extra starter, though.
5. LHP DJ Herz
Herz came out of nowhere to provide some reliable starts this year.
He had a 4.16 ERA over 19 starts. His fastball has a lot of potential thanks it's movement. When looking at his expected numbers, his ceiling is very high.
The 23-year-old generates a fair bit of whiffs and strikeouts.
4. LHP Mitchell Parker
Parker was a little bit less of a surprise, but still a good development as a rookie. He posted a 4.29 ERA.
Whereas Herz made his money with the fastball, Parker relies on his breaking ball mix to get outs. He has solid command, but batters figured out how to hit him consistently.
If he can generate more misses, he could become a fantastic starter.
3. RHP Jake Irvin
Irvin is in a similar situation to Parker. He doesn't strike a lot of batters out, but he also doesn't hand out free bases.
His 1.199 WHIP is solid, but it is mostly due to a fair amount of hits given up. He is slightly above average at forcing ground balls, which is the best thing going for him right now.
2. RHP Nick Pivetta
Pivetta would be the big addition to the rotation, making up for the departure of Patrick Corbin.
He has never truly been an ace, but has shown glimpses of it in the past.
The 31-year-old has been fairly consistent with a 4.33 ERA over the last four seasons. He has the stuff to be better. Like Herz, his expected numbers are much better than his actual stats.
He rarely walks batters and strikes them out a fair amount.
1. LHP MacKenzie Gore
Gore is the staff ace and that likely won't change unless they decide to go deep into their pockets for a top arm in free agency.
The 25-year-old took his game up another level with a 3.90 ERA last season. He has some issues with walks. He could grow into a true All-Star if he can get is WHIP below the 1.400 threshold that it has been above his entire career.
