Ross Detwiler: 2014 Year in Review

Sep 26, 2014; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals relief pitcher Ross Detwiler (48) pitches during the fifth inning against the Miami Marlins in game two of a baseball doubleheader at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Washington Nationals pitcher Ross Detwiler had what can only be charitably called a lost season in 2014.

Detwiler was a starter for the Nats in 2013, coming off a successful year in 2012. However, he did not pitch in 2013 after July 3rd due to injuries. He had an oblique injury and a pinched nerve in his back that curtailed his 2013 season.

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Detwiler arrived at spring training in 2014 healthy and ready to compete for the fifth starter position. At the end of spring training, Detwiler was assigned to the bullpen. Even the injury to starter Doug Fister at the beginning of the season did not get Detwiler a place in the starting rotation.

Part of the team’s decision to use Detwiler out of the bullpen probably had to do with their failure to obtain enough left-handed relievers in the offseason. The only left hander in the bullpen that had been signed was Jerry Blevins, and the Nats were short of quality left-handed help in the pen.

Detwiler could have used the bullpen role to convince the team he could be a quality starter again, or a long reliever. With Detwiler’s injury history, turning himself into a quality left-handed reliever could extend his career.

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It became apparent as the season went on that Detwiler was never really thriving in his reliever role. His performances, especially after the first six weeks of the season, were inconsistent.

Ross started out the year in terrific fashion. His ERA for April was 1.98. He had one bad outing in the month, giving up three runs in two innings in an appearance against the Padres April 27th and getting tagged with the loss.

In his first appearance in May his ERA ballooned to 4.02 after he gave up four runs in an inning against the Dodgers. His ERA reached a high of 5.24 for the season by May 22nd, and it was clear he was suddenly struggling.

He righted his ship somewhat, his ERA trending downward into the 3.50 range for most of the rest of the season, but it started to climb again in September and he finished the year with an ERA of 4.00. That is not a good number for a reliever to have.

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Detwiler appeared in 47 games, gave up 34 runs (28 earned) and walked 21 batters. That many walks in 47 appearances can be a killer for a reliever, and Detwiler and the Nats paid the price at times.

Ross was left off of the postseason roster for the NLDS, an indication that management had lost confidence in him. Leaving him off the roster, and including Rafael Soriano on that roster instead, was surprising. Detwiler was a very effective starter for the Nats in their 2012 post season. He actually was one of the few pitching bright spots in the series against the Cardinals.

Detwiler was reportedly upset that he was not named to the postseason roster. It appears that the relationship between Ross and the Nats organization has reached a new low. Things between this player and the team were not good at the end of spring training when Detwiler was sent to the bullpen, and have probably gotten worse since the postseason roster decision was made.

Detwiler wants to be a starting pitcher, but that is not going to happen with the Nats. Detwiler is eligible for arbitration for 2015 and is a free agent in 2016. The Nats probably need to go out and find themselves a quality left handed reliever for the bullpen and not offer Detwiler arbitration.

Detwiler needs to be released so that he can have the opportunity to be signed with another team as a starting pitcher, which is the role he wants to fulfill. The Nationals can’t offer him that opportunity. It’s probably time for an amicable parting of the ways between this player and the organization.

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