Washington Nationals: The men in the ‘pen

Last summer, the Washington Nationals got into a groove that propelled them out of a very bad situation in the standings. Pieces were working together and watching the team play was like watching poetry in motion. But there was one aspect of the roster that never quite got things together – the bullpen.

In 2019, the Nationals bullpen carried a major league-worst 5.66 ERA and the third-worst batting average against at .266. Both of those numbers were horrific, but if you can believe it, the bullpen started off much worse. On June 24, 2019, exactly one month after the Nationals turned the fate of their season around, the bullpen’s ERA was 7.70.

It’s not just fans and media members that know that the Nationals bullpen was bad last year. Manager Dave Martinez and general manager Mike Rizzo were both well-aware that if they wanted to compete for the NL East title in 2020, things would need to change.

MLB implemented some new rules for 2020, such as a 26th man being added to each team’s roster this season, a three-batter minimum being put into effect, as well as a limit on 13 pitchers per roster. With that said, who will the Nationals run out of the bullpen this year? At the very least… a healthy mix of returning bullpen arms, with another year under the belt, and new faces to the nation’s capital.

Back from 2019

Of the 24 non-position players who threw a pitch for the Nationals in 2019 – Gerardo Parra and Brian Dozier each made appearances last summer – there are five that will see significant time in 2020 barring anything unforeseen. Right-handers Daniel Hudson, Tanner Rainey, and Wander Suero are all virtual locks to make the Opening Day roster. Hudson was traded to Washington from Toronto at the deadline in 2019 and he took off from there to the tune of a 1.44 ERA and six saves across 24 appearances. Rainey and Suero, both flamethrowers with inconsistent off-speed pitches, combined for 130 appearances and 155 strikeouts on the campaign.

Southpaw’s, Sean Doolittle and Roenis Eliás will also see significant mound time this season, with the latter maintaining the closing duties. Doolittle collected 29 saves in 2019 bringing his career total to 111. He fought thru command issues due to a nagging knee injury in the middle of last season that forced Martinez to run out other relievers to try and close out games for a brief time. Eliás meanwhile, made just four appearances in Washington after being dealt from Seattle at the trade deadline. He pitched three innings with two strikeouts and a walk.

James Bourque and Austen Williams both made appearances in 2019, but neither capitalized on their opportunity. The right-handers combined to pitch one inning walking three and surrendering 10 earned runs. They will likely both begin the season in the minors but will get opportunities to prove themselves again at some point in 2020.

New to the crew

Washington made three key additions to bolster their bullpen this offseason, bringing in a trio of right-handers with varied experience. The biggest addition came in early January when the Nationals signed Will Harris to a 3-year, $24 million deal. Harris, who was with the Houston Astros for five seasons before becoming a free agent this offseason, had a 2.36 ERA in 297 innings pitched with the Astros. He had a breakout 2019 campaign with a 1.50 ERA and a WHIP under 1.000 in 68 games pitched.

Just before pitchers and catchers reported to Florida for Spring Training, the Nationals traded for reliever Ryne Harper from the Twins. In his rooking campaign, Harper fanned 50 while walking just ten and allowing seven home runs in Minnesota. Harper brings a four-pitch arsenal to Washington, with a 74 mph curveball and a fastball that tops out at 90 mph.

And lastly, Washington went out and signed Kyle Finnegan, a 28-year old who has yet to throw a pitch in the majors, to a big-league contract. Finnegan spent seven seasons in the Oakland Athletics organization but truly blossomed a season ago at the back-end of the bullpen. Across AA and AAA, he sported a 2.66 ERA and 72 strikeouts in 2019 with a high-90s fastball and a major-league ready slider.

Waiting for an opportunity

While injuries and poor performances are inevitable over the course of the long season, there will be many players to come out of the bullpen that aren’t on this list. Chances are some won’t arrive till later in the season aka trades or waiver wire pickups.  The following are a few players what we may see at some point in 2020:

• Javy Guerra (RHP): Guerra was selected off waivers in May 2019 and made 40 appearances for the Nationals. He finished the regular season with a 4.86 ERA, 46 strikeouts and 12 walks. He was a non-roster invitee to Spring Training.
• Aaron Barret (RHP): Barrett was the centerpiece of a heart-warming story in 2019 when he made his return from multiple injuries and years of rehab. He made just three appearances last season at the major league level where he walked four and struck out one. He was optioned to AAA-Fresno on March 14 to begin his 2020 campaign.
• Joe Ross (RHP) and Austin Voth (RHP): Ross and Voth are in the running for the fifth spot in the starting rotation, but whoever doesn’t win the job will likely transition to the bullpen to begin the season.
• Fernando Rodney (RHP): Rodney was with the Nationals for part of 2019 where he made 38 appearances, fanning 35 and walking 16 while accumulating a 4.05 ERA. Rodney, a three-time All-Star, is still available via free agency.

Who we won’t see

While the Nationals will surely employ 15+ arms out of the bullpen again in 2020, fans should not expect to see the following again this season in the red, white and blue:

• Hunter Strickland (RHP): Strickland was released by Washington on March 14, 2020. Last season, after being acquired from Seattle via trade, the right-hander appeared in 24 games, punching out 15 and walking eight with an ERA north of 5.00.
• Matt Grace (LHP): One of the few southpaws the Nationals had in 2019, Grace signed with Arizona in December and will not don the Curly W in 2020.
• Kyle Barraclough (RHP): Barraclough appeared in 33 games for the Nationals in 2019, pitching to a 6.66 ERA after being claimed off waivers from the San Francisco Giants. He signed with the San Diego Padres in December 2019.
• Tony Sipp (LHP): Sipp struggled to find his footing with Washington and was released shortly after the trade deadline in 2019. He made 36 appearances, many of which were situational to face one or two left-handed batters at a time.

Regardless of who we see or don’t see in Washington this summer, one thing is for certain: the result on the field must be better. If it’s not, Nationals fans should be ready to pull their hair out every time the starter doesn’t throw a complete game.