Washington Nationals Pitching Ace Near Bottom of Power Rankings
The Washington Nationals look like they are going to miss the playoffs for a fifth straight year after winning the World Series in 2019. But, fans are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
We have gotten a glimpse of the future over the last few weeks and will continue to down the stretch. The Nationals made some moves ahead of the MLB trade deadline and after it by releasing some veterans to open up playing time for their younger guys.
Top prospect James Wood was called up at the start of July and has been playing very well. Andres Chaparro, who was acquired ahead of the deadline from the Arizona Diamondbacks, was called up last week and was making an immediate impact.
Those two combined with Luis Garcia Jr. and CJ Abrams give Washington a nice core to build around heading into the future. More help is on the way in the form of top prospect, outfielder Dylan Crews, who could potentially make his much-anticipated debut late this season.
While there is a lot of excitement about the lineup for the Nationals, there same cannot be said about their pitching staff. Washington has received some solid contributions from younger players, but an ace pitcher has not emerged.
There was hope that MacKenzie Gore could be that player, but a strong start to the 2024 season has been derailed in recent weeks. Taking up the mantle as the team’s ace this season has been rookie Jake Irvin.
Irvin has certainly held his own. In 26 starts, he has gone 9-10 with a 3.81 ERA in 151 innings with 127 strikeouts. He is the only qualified starting pitcher with an ERA under 4.00 this season, but when stacked up against the other aces around the league, Irvin is near the bottom.
Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report has ranked Irvin as the No. 27 ace in baseball. Part of the reason he is that low is his recent form has been underwhelming.
“Like JP Sears (ranked No. 28), though, he doesn't bring much to the table apart from an ability to put the ball in the strike zone. He doesn't miss many bats, nor does he specialize in stifling hard contact.
And whereas Sears at least has a hot streak going for him, Irvin has gone icy. In eight starts since July 9, he's been rocked for a 6.20 ERA over 45 innings,” Rymer wrote.
In only his second major league season, it isn’t all too surprising that Irvin has slowed down. He has already made two more starts and thrown 30 more innings in 2024 than he did in 2023.
With the playoffs out of reach, the Nationals could look to scale back his workload a little bit down the stretch. But, his ranking shows that pitching will be a priority for the team this winter.
