Washington Nationals: The State of the Nationals Bullpen

Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Seasons

I’m not sure which pitch Trevor Rosenthal is throwing in the image above, but odds are it went into the dirt and hit the backstop behind home plate.

The following statistics are not safe for work: A 36.00 ERA, a 13.14 FIP, and three times as many walks as strikeouts.  Gross.

Rosenthal has not allowed a home run this season.  So he’s got that going for him.  Hopefully, he can build on that in West Palm Beach while he recovers from his “viral illness.”

Austin Adams and Austen Williams have the combined statistics of 13 batters faced and four outs recorded.  Williams was placed on the IL with an AC joint sprain, and Adams was recently traded to the Seattle Mariners for a Class-A prospect.

Dan Jennings got called up last week and has not pitched well.  In fairness to him, some of this is due to questionable managerial decision making.  But the stats are ugly.  He has retired eight of the 21 batters he has faced.  His 16.88 ERA and 9.89 FIP are both awful.

He claims to pitch better when he is used frequently.  Right now, the Nats should not accept that request.

Lastly, we have Justin Miller.  The Nats tapped into Miller’s upside in the first half of the 2018 season when he posted a 3.05 FIP with a 13.34 K/9.  After the break, he posted a 6.00 FIP and cut his strikeouts per nine innings in half (13.34 to 6.93).

This season, he has posted a 3.55 ERA.  However, his underlying metrics tell a different story.  He has a .265 BABIP which will inevitably rise, meaning more balls will find the outfield grass rather than defender’s mitts for outs.

He also has a 6.77 FIP and a negative 0.3 WAR, which is tied with Rosenthal for the worst pitching WAR on the team.

The State of The Nationals Bullpen is Bleak.  But with a little bit of luck, its fortunes might turn around.