What Will Next Season Look Like for Young Washington Nationals Right-Hander?
The Washington Nationals are getting set for what will be an important offseason for the franchise.
In 2024, the Nationals saw a lot of their young talent start to make an impact in the big leagues, as their lineup and starting rotation was full of young players looking to prove themselves.
Even though they only won 71 games last year, it was good to see the direction that the franchise was heading in. This offseason could be a crucial one for the direction of Washington, as it certainly feels like the organization is getting closer to being able to compete for a playoff spot.
If the Nationals are looking to be aggressive by adding a top end starter and a big bat in the middle of the order, this team could easily get over 80 wins next season. However, with a lot of young talent, this might not be the winter that they look to make a big splash, as they could wait to see how some of their young talent continues to develop.
One of those young talented players is pitcher Jake Irvin. The right-hander has been a starter for Washington for most of the last two seasons, and has shown some promise. Last campaign, Irvin was able to make 33 starts, and he logged nearly 200 innings pitched. At 27-years-old, Irvin figures to fit into the future plans of the organization, but figuring out what his ceiling is can be tricky.
Recently, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports spoke about what 2025 could look like for the right-hander.
“2025 outlook: So who is the real Jake Irvin? Is he a No. 2 starter and workhorse who can churn out quality starts and approach 200 innings pitched? Or is he too inconsistent to reach that level and prone to those ugly innings that ruined too many of his starts? That will be the pertinent question he faces entering 2025.”
As a young pitcher, Irvin had some ups and downs in his first full season as a starter for Washington. In May and June, it looked like the 27-year-old was on his way to stardom, as he totaled a sub-3.00 ERA both months. However, he really struggled at the end of the season with an ERA over 6.00 in both August and September.
For the Nationals, it's hard to know what Irvin is going to be for the organization as of now. He has shown flashes that he can be a top-end of the rotation starter, and he has also looked like a fifth starter.
The right-hander will surely have a spot in the rotation in 2025, but this could be a make-or-break season for him.
