Unexpected farm pieces aiding Washington Nationals in second half
One through five in the rotation, the Washington Nationals were supposed to be balanced and fierce in 2015. While free agent acquisition Max Scherzer has been everything the organization hoped he would be in year one, it has been a slippery slope elsewhere.
Stephen Strasburg has been cycling on and off the disabled list most of the season and has thrown only 61 innings. Jordan Zimmermann has been good, but not as good as he was last year. Gio Gonzalez has been inconsistent and doesn’t look like he will ever again replicate his 2012 numbers from his first year with the Nats. Doug Fister has been pretty awful and now will pitch out of the bullpen. With the next man up motto in place, enter Joe Ross.
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Joseph Andrew Ross is the younger brother of San Diego’s Tyson Ross. The Padres were obviously keen on investing in Tyson’s bloodlines when they drafted his sibling in the first round of the 2011 draft. Now 22, Joe is making an impact with Washington that could be the clubs saving grace as the New York Mets have pulled ahead of the Nationals in the NL East thanks in part to their very well-rounded pitching staff.
Ross was logging some quality innings for the Syracuse Chiefs in Triple-A before the call-up. Nationals manager Matt Williams knew it would be inevitable that arms in the system would need to be called upon throughout the season in place of injuries or rainouts for double headers — things of that nature. But few probably saw a demotion by one of their starters to the bullpen as being the door that opens for somebody like Ross to succeed.
The right-hander started the season in Double-A with Harrisburg and progressed to the next level after posting a 2.81 ERA over 51.1 IP. He threw only 24.2 in Syracuse before being thrown into the fire on June 6 versus the hard hitting Cubs’ lineup. The kid has stepped up ever since then with six consecutive quality starts and currently has the fifth highest WAR amongst all Nationals pitchers on the 25-man roster.
Washington were the odds-on preseason favorites to win the World Series this year. But the foundation has been cracked from early on. Anthony Rendon didn’t play his first game until June, Ryan Zimmerman and Ian Desmond have been shades of their former 2014 selves and Jayson Werth has also missed extensive time.
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If it weren’t for Bryce Harper and Scherzer, the Nationals might be further back than 4.5 game in the NL Wild Card race at this juncture in time. With Joe Ross’ efforts, they might still have a fighting chance at making the postseason.
Another arm from the minors that Washington is leaning on this year is reliever Felipe Rivero. The 24-year-old Venezuelan has been a pivotal piece of the bullpen since the beginning of June. He’s getting his first taste of Major League action this year and has a 2.73 FIP to pair alongside an outstanding 6.25 K:BB ratio through 21 appearances in 2015.
The Washington Nationals gained the services of both Ross and Rivero through 2014 trades. Ross was part of a three piece deal that involved the Rays and Padres, while Rivero was acquired directly from Tampa Bay along with two other players for pitcher Nate Karns.
After being noted as baseball’s most well-rounded team leading up to Opening Day, the Nats find themselves in a tough spot early in August. Some parts have came as advertised, but the depth hasn’t been where many thought it would be. Trading for Jonathan Papelbon is proof of this much. So too are the valuable contributions from rookies like Ross and Rivero.