It is official. The CACTI Park of The Palm Beaches is open for pitchers/catchers to report. While today will be about checking in and getting physicals, pitchers will start in their rotating bullpen sessions across the mounds that had those signs last year: “I Don’t Care How Fast You Throw Ball Four.” Those signs are gone — will there be new signs in camp for 2025?
As part of the Washington Nationals’ 20th anniversary season, alumni players are being included in their own rotating lineup of guest instructors that of course begins with Ryan Zimmerman, Gerardo Parra, and Sean Doolittle who are on staff plus scheduled alumni that include the following position players: Ian Desmond, Danny Espinosa, Adam LaRoche, Denard Span and Jayson Werth. These are the alumni pitchers scheduled to appear: Tyler Clippard, Aníbal Sánchez, Drew Storen and Jordan Zimmermann. Noticeably missing: Stephen Strasburg. A source told us that he was invited and declined the invitation.
With a 20-year history, the Nationals has seen its share of alumni visiting at Spring Training — but nothing like this line-up. We are talking about World Series Champs, All-Stars, Silver Slugger Award winners, Gold Glovers, pitchers with no-hitters on their career stats, and of course Zim spent his entire career with the Nats.
STORYLINES
There are multiple storylines entering camp that begin with whether general manager Mike Rizzo will sign any more free agents that will move the WAR meter up. The main storyline is can this young core become stars on this roster for the final step as Rizzo wants to see.
“You have to do what you have to do to sustain greatness. … by having a core group of guys who will be with you through those years. … When your [prospect] stars become [MLB] stars — that’s when you take off.”
— Rizzo said in January to season ticket holders
A key storyline is the noticeable fact that the Nats did not sign a third base upgrade. Additional storylines will be who is the closer, the fourth and fifth starters in the rotation, and the battle for the final spots in the bullpen and on the bench.
PITCHERS IN CAMP
Daison Acosta, RHP NRI
This reliever is not a household name and that is because Acosta spent last season in Double-A. At 26 years old, he is a long-shot to make the Opening Day roster as a righty. He did put up a nice K/9 and ERA at Double-A last year.
Joan Adon, RHP NRI
Just last month, Adon was removed from the 40-man roster via a DFA and then cleared waivers and assigned to Triple-A Rochester. He has been a starter and a reliever in his tenure in the Nats’ system. He is a long-shot to make the Opening Day roster.
Zach Brzykcy, RHP
After missing a season with UCL TJ surgery, Brzykcy got back to in in 2024 and made his debut with the Nats. While he his defense wasn’t great in his debut, Brzykcy couldn’t get out of a jam that blew up his debut. We will see how his second chance works out. By being on the 40-man roster and having minor league options, Brzykcy will almost certainly get some time to prove he has the stuff to be a Major Leaguer.
Cade Cavalli, RHP
After his 2023 UCL “Tommy John” surgery, Cavalli could not make it back to the Nationals rotation in 2024 due to multiple setbacks. As a Nats’ first round pick and top pitching prospect, he has fallen back in the depth charts and will be eased back into action as he will be on an innings limit.
Jose A. Ferrer, LHP
Some think Ferrer could be thrust into the closer’s role. At 24 years old, he has shown that he has the stuff to do it — but can he do it consistently when the phone rings?
MacKenzie Gore LHP
This could be the season for Gore to take the reigns as the team’s Opening Day starter. The team only controls Gore right now for three more years, and he turns 26 this season. He will have a chance to show more consistency — and if he does that, he could get to the ceiling that some evaluators pegged him as a future ace.
Josiah Gray, RHP
While Gray is recovering from his own TJ surgery last year, he won’t be pitching in Nats Park for a while, and the Nats might not push hard to bring him back until late in the season when rosters expand. He will be on an innings limit.
Marquis Grissom Jr., RHP NRI
You might know the name because of his father, and hopefully you know it for the great year he had in 2024 at High-A Wilmington and Double-A Harrisburg. Grissom gets his first invite to big league camp. His 2.21 ERA and 1.057 WHIP in 41 combined games was certainly a player who thrust himself into the conversation of thriving prospects. It is very possible if Grissom progresses further that he will make his Nationals’ debut in 2024. He has a very good changeup, breaking pitch, and fastball combo. Think of Tyler Clippard as what you hope Grissom can be.
Clay Helvey, RHP NRI
The Nats picked up Helvey as bullpen depth. As a righty reliever, he is a long-shot to make the roster. He signed a minor league deal in the offseason after six seasons in the minors with the Giants organization. He just has not been consistent enough to get that MLB promotion — but his K/9 of 12.3 is what has kept him employed even at the age of 28 (birthday on Valentine’s Day).
Cole Henry, RHP
Henry had been a Nats’ top prospect after he was drafted in the second round by the Nationals from LSU in 2020. He showed so much promise early on, but Henry had major health issues that resulted in the dreaded Thoracic Outlet Surgery. The Nats decided to put Henry on the 40-man roster for the 2024 season, and if he cannot put it together in 2025, he could find himself as a roster squeeze candidate if the Nats need a 40-man roster spot for someone else.
DJ Herz, LHP
Herz was the bright spot of the 2023 trade deadline for the Nationals as he thrust himself onto the big stage with his MLB debut last year. He will be competing for a roster rotation spot.
Jake Irvin RHP
Before the All-Star break, Irvin looked like an All-Star until he seemed to succumb to being pushed too hard in early July. He had a 2.80 ERA on July 4th but was pushed into the 8th inning of a meaningless game on that day, and fell apart in his next start giving up six earnies as his season fell apart at that point forward with a 6.50 ERA for the remainder of the season. After the All-Star break, Irvin’s rest seemed to do him well as he had two promising starts but then was pushed to a 110 pitch count in his first start in August and fell apart again and pitched to a 6.52 for August and September. What manager Dave Martinez has to remember, Irvin is not Max Scherzer. Read the room pitcher.
Andry Lara, RHP
He was added to the 40-man roster this winter to protect him from the Rule-5 draft. Lara is a homegrown talent from their Dominican Academy and will pitch in his first big league camp. At 22, he has time to develop as a starter, and he should start the season either in Double-A or Triple-A.
Derek Law, RHP
Law seemed to pitch every day even though he didn’t — it just seemed that way. He appeared in 75 games out of the bullpen and logged 90.0 innings. He is in his final year of team control and will be a veteran in the bullpen. While he didn’t work out as a fireman last year, he could be a key set-up man.
Jorge Lopez, RHP
He looks to be one of the hi lev relievers who will compete as a closer for the Nats this season. He has more career saves than any Nats’ pitcher in camp with 31 career saves. Lopez came to the Nats this season as a free agent.
Brad Lord, RHP NRI
Lord put up impressive numbers at Double-A Harrisburg with a 1.40 ERA and a 1.033 WHIP, and earned a promotion late in the season at Triple-A Rochester. He certainly could get some starts in 2025 for his MLB debut and might be a pitcher we see in a spot start for a doubleheader. Lord has to show what he has in Spring Training then do it again in Triple-A where he will probably start his season.
Shinnosuke Ogasawara, LHP
We all know the story that Ogasawara was signed as the first free agent ever from Asia for the Nationals. He comes from Japan and will have to show that he is an MLB quality pitcher. The Nats control him only for two years. Time is ticking.
Mitchell Parker, LHP
What a season for Parker in 2024. He was abruptly called up as a spot starter when Gray went down. He started 29 games as a rookie, and besides his fielding issues, Parker was solid and put up an impressive +2.4 WAR. But after the signings of Soroka, Ogasawara, and Williams, it is Parker who will have to compete for a roster spot along with Herz.
Konnor Pilkington, LHP NRI
Pilkington made 11 starts for the Guardians in 2023, and nobody knows if he will be a starter or reliever after he was signed as a minor league free agent after his struggles for the Diamondbacks Triple-A last year. As a lefty, you never know if he can find a spot as a long-man on this team.
Colin Poche, LHP NRI
He just turned 31 in January and was signed to a minor league contract. Most expect Poche will make the Opening Day roster as a bullpen arm. By not giving Poche an MLB deal now, the team saved the need to open up a 40-man spot via a DFA. Poche was non-tendered by the Rays earlier in the winter when he was due a projected $3.4 million in his final year of arbitration. He has spent his entire big league career with the Rays to the point of his non-tender. Poche was a set-up man for the Rays but his peripherals did decline some, and he had some struggles going lefty-on-lefty. Working with assistant pitching coach, Sean Doolittle, could help Poche get back to peak form. Doolittle knows a thing-or-two about making mechanical adjustments.
Evan Reifert, RHP Rule-5
We didn’t think Rizzo would take a player in the Rule-5 draft in December, and he couldn’t pass-up on Reifert who impressed for the Tampa Bay Rays in Double-A last year with excellent stats of a 1.96 ERA and a 0.919 WHIP. His K/9 was also great with 65 strikeouts in 41 1/3 innings.
Orlando Ribalta, RHP
He was another reliever who made his MLB debut last year. Ribalta was great in Double-A Harrisburg last year with a 1.00 ERA and a matching 1.00 WHIP. He didn’t do as well in Triple-A but still got a chance to make his MLB debut. A lot of promise there, and he will be competing for the final bullpen spot on Opening Day.
Jackson Rutledge, RHP
Once the team’s No. 1 prospect, Rutledge like Cavalli was a Nats’ first round pick who has fallen back. We will see what the team does with him this year. Will he be a starter or a reliever. This is his sixth year in the organization.
Eduardo Salazar, RHP
Acquired in midseason, he stepped up in the bullpen with a mixed bag of stats as he posted a 2.96 ERA in 25 games with a troubling WHIP of 1.573 meaning he was putting over 1 1/2 runners on base every inning. Too many walks were his issue. He will be competing for the final bullpen spot for Opening Day.
Jack Sinclair, RHP NRI
The 2021 Nats’ draft pick gets his first big league camp invite after notching a 2.20 ERA and an excellent 0.959 WHIP in 43 relief appearances at Double-A Harrisburg. He will have to show he can perform at Triple-A before he has a chance to make his MLB debut since he is not on the 40-man roster.
Michael Soroka, RHP
He was the Nats most expensive free agent signing this year (so far), even though Nathaniel Lowe is guaranteed to make more then him as a new acquisition. Soroka gets a great opportunity to get another chance with a new team. After a poor start to his season as a starting pitcher for the White Sox in 2024, the former Braves’ All-Star thrived in the White Sox bullpen. Rizzo promised him a shot to start with the Nationals, and he gets a chance on a 1-year deal to show what he has.
Tyler Stuart, RHP NRI
This starter was acquired from the Mets for Jesse Winker and impressed from the onset with his new team throwing a no-hitter into the 7th inning in his first week in the Nats’ system. Keep an eye on this big righty, with some adjustments and a promising changeup, he could be a great addition to this team.
Jarlin Susana, RHP NRI
The big fireballer who lights up radar guns at over 100 mph was a key piece in the Juan Soto trade and gets his first chance in big league camp. He turns 21 next month, and has yet to make it to Double-A. We still don’t know if he is a future ace starter or a closer in the mold of a young Aroldis Chapman. He is scary on that mound and showed much better control in 2024.
Mason Thompson, RHP
After getting his second career Tommy John surgery last year, Thompson will have to show he is healthy. Certainly a 60-day IL candidate, we will have to see what he has to get another chance.
Trevor Williams, RHP
The Nats re-signed Williams to his second two-year contract with the team that potentially will give him four-years on this team. His ERA and the way they analytically used Williams showed that you get more with less. He shows what analytics can do 2.03 ERA and a scant 1.035 WHIP. You wish the Nats could have analytically controlled Irvin and Gore like they did with Williams because getting more with less should always be the goal with pitchers. Just obfuscate.
NRI Position Players In Camp
There is a short list of NRI position players in camp, and none are expected to make the Opening Day roster. The team will have three NRI catchers in camp that will include Andrew Knizner and first round pick Caleb Lomavita from last year’s draft. The third NRI catcher is Max Romero. The NRI infielders are Brady House, Yohandy Morales, and Cayden Wallace who came over in the Hunter Harvey trade. House and Morales are two top prospects that will get to show what they have. The NRI outfielders are Daylen Lile and Andrew Pinckney. If you want our projected lineup and position players to make the Opening Day roster, you can read that here. While 8-of-the-9 spots in the lineup are set except third base, it is the bench where several players on the 40-man roster will be competing for spots.
A Guide To Spring Training
While Stan did this guide for us a few times, this is three years old, but still is a great look from one of our Palm Beach County locals who was kind enough to write this.
Opening Day Is Right Around The Corner
We are 42-days to Opening Day so this is a shortened Spring Training as the pitchers and catchers will only be in West Palm beach for 39-days, and the position players for even less time. We will see who gets the BSOHL Award for the best shape of his life as we usually see some players who come in looking very fit. Hope springs eternal.
