District On Deck
FanSided

Washington Nationals: The organization’s best prospect at each position

By Blake Finney

WEST PALM BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 28: The Washington Nationals logo on one of the practice fields at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches prior to a spring training game against the Houston Astros on February 28, 2017 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)
WEST PALM BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 28: The Washington Nationals logo on one of the practice fields at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches prior to a spring training game against the Houston Astros on February 28, 2017 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
11 of 11
Next
Washington Nationals James Bourque
Photo by Sam Getty/Harrisburg Senators /

Relief Pitcher – James Bourque

Next up: Austen Williams, Tanner Rainey, Taylor Guilbeau

Just like their starting pitching, the Washington Nationals have definitely improved their relief pitching development recently. Although James Bourque has only one season of experience as a reliever, he’s flashed tantalizing upside and could make his major league debut this year.

More from District on Deck

The right-hander initially struggled as a starter in his career, as he continued to struggle with command and had an ERA above 5.00 in 2016 and 2017. But last year, Bourque posted a sparkling 1.70 ERA in 41 games with 76 strikeouts in just 53 innings between High-A and Double-A.

He has a fastball that has risen to the upper 90s as a reliever and is now a dominant pitch that he pairs with a big breaking curveball. Bourque also told Lacy Lusk of Baseball America that he plans to bring back his changeup in 2019 that could make for another average pitch should he need it.

Overall, as a reliever, Bourque profiles as a high-leverage pitcher with potentially electric stuff if he can continue to showcase the filthy arsenal he did last year. With the Nats current so-so bullpen at the major league level, they won’t be scared to promote the righty if

Elsewhere, Austen Williams and Taylor Guilbeau have followed similar paths to Bourque as converted starters and turned their careers around. Tanner Rainey probably has the best arsenal in the entire organization among relievers with the ability to touch triple digits, but his control is a huge issue which will need to be corrected before he can be trusted late in games.

Next. Looking ahead at the Nats' 2019/20 FAs. dark

The Washington Nationals farm system isn’t as strong as it used to be, but there is certainly talent across the diamond at each position. Now the organization needs to make sure that it can keep its players on the right track in 2019 and we could see the farm system flourish.

Home/Nationals Prospects