Washington Nationals Pitcher Finishes Respectable Rookie Season on a High Note
The 2024 season for the Washington Nationals was all about pinpointing which players could be part of their core moving forward.
A lot of attention was given to the lineup, where they are loaded with high-upside players. James Wood, Jacob Young and Dylan Crews should be the outfield for years to come from left to right.
CJ Abrams, despite his unprecedented demotion, should be the double-play tandem with Luis Garcia Jr. for a long time at shortstop and second base.
The pitching staff at times struggled in 2024, but several players have shown signs of being long-term pieces as well. One of those players is rookie Mitchell Parker.
A fifth-round pick of the Nationals in the 2020 MLB Draft out of San Jacinto College, North Campus, he made his debut on April 14th this season. From that point on, he was a reliable source of innings for Dave Martinez.
The ups and downs were expected during his first taste of the Big Leagues, but he handled himself well. Parker made his final start of the season on Tuesday against the Kansas City Royals and had one of the most productive outings of his young career.
He tossed five shutout innings, allowing only five hits and two walks with five strikeouts. The only reason he didn’t work deeper into the game was his pitch count was already at 91 after completing five.
“I thought he threw the ball really well,” manager Davey Martinez said, via Mark Zuckerman of Masn. “He got out of a heck of a first inning there, made an unbelievable play. But after that first inning, he really settled down and controlled the strike zone well. They’ve got some pretty good hitters – those one through four hitters are pretty good – but he got through it and pitched well.”
In what ended up being a 1-0 extra-innings victory for the Royals, Parker didn’t factor into the decision.
That means he ends 2024 with a 7-10 record and 4.29 ERA over 29 starts. His FIP would indicate that he pitched better than some of those numbers would suggest with a very solid 3.85.
He struck out 133 over 151 innings, which is an achievement all in itself. Given how many arm injuries pitchers suffer nowadays, it was great to see Parker reach the 150-inning plateau in his rookie season.
“To be able to get that many innings this year is awesome,” he said. “Like we said when I got here, I just wanted to make every start I can and stay healthy, get as many innings as possible. So being able to do it is huge.”
To perform at the level in which he did not expect to be in the Major Leagues is impressive. Josiah Gray undergoing Tommy John surgery and Jackson Rutledge being injured himself opened the door for Parker.
He took full advantage, making the fourth most starts on the team. Jake Irvin led the way with 32, followed by 31 from MacKenzie Gore and Patrick Corbin.
Next spring training, Parker should have a rotation spot locked in as part of an emerging young core that could make some real noise in 2025.
KENNETH TEAPE