MLB expert reveals the best pitchers for the Washington Nationals in 2024

The Washington Nationals may not have had a great season in terms of their win-loss record, but this season saw many of their young players develop.

While the Nationals have struggled for quite some time, the future looks bright for the franchise. This year saw major growth for Washington, particularly on the roster.

This campaign saw the infield combination of CJ Abrams and Luis Garcia Jr. really take their games to the next level as Abrams was selected to his first All-Star team. Although it was important that the two made a step into the All-Star class, a few new top young talents also arrived and made their debuts.

Both James Woods and Dylan Crews saw significant action in the second half of the season, and as two of the top outfield prospects in the majors, that’s a great sign for next season.

While the future looks bright in the lineup, the Nationals still have some work to do in the starting rotation and bullpen.

Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter recently listed the Nationals’ top five pitchers this season in this order: Jake Irvin, Kyle Finnegan, MacKenzie Gore, Mitchell Parker and Derek Law.

“Right-hander Jake Irvin was the unsung hero of the Nationals team, making 32 starts and posting a 4.22 ERA and 153-49 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 183.1 innings. His 1.18 WHIP ranks eighth among qualified NL starters, ahead of the likes of Max Fried, Freddy Peralta, Logan Webb and others. Veteran backup Derek Law may have played well enough this season to earn an MLB deal in free agency this time around. The 34-year-old has a 2.68 ERA and 16 holds in 72 appearances after signing a minor league contract in each of the last four offseasons.”

Irvin certainly deserved to be at the top, as the right-hander had the second-best WAR of any pitcher in Washington this season at 2.3.

While it was nice to see Law on the roster, it could be argued that he was the second-best pitcher on the team this season. Law had a 7-4 record and a 2.63 ERA. Additionally, his WAR of 1.8 is right behind Irvin.

Unfortunately for the Nationals, after Irvin and Law, there wasn’t much to be overly excited about on the pitching staff. Acquiring a top starter to lead this rotation next season should definitely be a priority for Washington.