Washington Nationals: Patrick Corbin Is Worth Every Last Dollar

After his spectacular 7.2 innings start on Thursday afternoon, Patrick Corbin is proving to the Washington Nationals he is worth every dollar.

This offseason the Washington Nationals took a gamble few teams were willing to endeavor upon. The team took a chance and gave a big dollar free agent deal to left-hander Patrick Corbin. The deal was for six years and $140 million, the third biggest on the free agent market this offseason.

Corbin had an up and down first six years of his career for the Arizona Diamondbacks. He started off struggling his rookie year, then bounced back with an All-Star campaign in 2013, but was forced to undergo Tommy John Surgery that winter causing him t miss the entire 2014 season.

When the left-hander returned to the mound in 2015, despite battling more injuries, he looked just like the All-Star that he had been before the surgery. Arizona believed they had an ace for years to come, but then 2016 hit.

Corbin posted the worst season of his career with a 5.15 E.R.A. in 24 starts and was moved to the bullpen towards the end of the season. He followed this up with another poor 2017 campaign and Corvin was at a crossroads. With just one year remaining on his deal, his future was anything but certain.

With his back against the wall, Corbin had a Cy Young caliber season, going 11-7 with a 3.15 E.R.A. and striking out 246 batters in 200 innings. He made the National League All-Star team for the second time in his career and finished fifth in the N.L. Cy Young voting.

This seasons set up his record deal with Washington, but some wondered if the real Patrick Corbin was the guy we saw in 2016 and 2017. Through four starts with the Washington Nationals, the 29-year-old has completely silenced all those doubts.

The left-hander has been spectacular in his brief Nationals career, pitching to a 2.36 E.R.A. in 26.2 innings with 33 strikeouts. Thursday afternoon Corbin’s brilliance was on full display in his masterful 7.2 innings, nine strikeout performance against the San Francisco Giants.

Corbin has started 2019 at an All-Star level, and if he can continue this performance paired with Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg Washington will no doubt have the best starting rotation in Major League Baseball.

When people talk about potential Cy Young winners in the Nationals rotation the first two names mentioned are Scherzer and Strasburg. So far in 2019, Corbin has outperformed them both. We may be seeing the new best pitcher in a Nationals uniform right before our very eyes, and his name is Patrick Corbin.