This Nationals team has shown some bright spots, despite common negativity around the season. James Wood is the obvious answer, so is MacKenzie Gore, although some people may be critical of him as an ace. A great bright spot that has appeared is rookie pitcher, Brad Lord. He has found himself in the starting rotation in the 2nd half of the season and has been fantastic, especially by rookie standard. It is very possible that he could be the 2nd pitcher in the rotation, and I will prove to you why.
Brad Lord As A Starter
He has now started 11 games since July, and he has been consistently performing above expectation. Lord has only had 3 of those games mark 4+ earned runs, and 5 games of 3+ earned runs. Though recording zero shutouts, Lord did have four starts of 1 earned run, or less. He also went 5+ innings in seven of his eleven starts in that time. These are all great, consistent numbers.
Of core Nationals starters, Lord also comfortably marks out as the 2nd best in ERA at 4.18. This number may even be lower if it did not factor in a few rough starts at the beginning of the year. The next best is Cade Cavalli (8 Starts) at a 4.76 ERA, and then Mike Soroka at 4.87, who has since been traded. After him, the Nationals fall off a cliff to Jake Irvin who has an ERA of 5.76 in 31 games. I had thought that Irvin could have a solid year, but boy was I wrong.
Dissecting His Arsenal of Pitches
Lord focuses on his fastball, complimenting it with an 18% right-winding sinker, and a nice offspeed slider. He will also mix in the changeup as a 13% pitch. This is an arsenal that works very well. When the fastball is up in the zone and accurate, that sinker can either get mixed in to throw off the batter, or the offspeed gets them spinning.
Per Statcast, Lord compares to David Peterson (2025) and Justin Topa (2025), among others. They both have been equally as stellar This arsenal demands control, but when working, it can force a lot of soft contact. Lord has a 48% ground ball rate and 20% K Rate.
Brad Lord in 2026
The rotation is shaping up to be rough again in 2026, however, the top-end can be quite good. MacKenzie Gore will be the ace of this team, that is undisputed. Irvin may remain, Cavalli should be a piece, but Lord may be the number two. It will really go between Lord and Cavalli for the number two spot. Nonetheless, these three players should round out a top-end rotation of decent upside.
Brad Lord has shown consistency and longevity in his 2025 so far. There is not much to argue here. He will be a start, and as good as he becomes will be as far as this rotation can become. The team needs another ace next to Gore, and he has the potential to become it.