The Washington Nationals will need to get a good look at this returning player from injury as they try to figure out their rotation for future years.
Not only did their bullpen finish with the worst ERA across Major League Baseball, but their starting rotation also finished with the second worst ERA. For a franchise looking to take the next step in their rebuilding process, having high-quality arms will be a must going forward.
But instead of adding to the unit, Paul Toboni and his front office made the decision to trade away their best pitcher in ace MacKenzie Gore, opting toA lot of pressure is now going to fall on those who are still with the organization. And while it won't be until potentially the second half of the season whenfrom Tommy John surgery, it's imperative they let him pitch if he's healthy so they can see what he can do.DJ Herz of the Washington Nationals | Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images Despite being up-and-down between the big league club and Triple-A Rochester in 2024 starting in the summer months after he made his MLB debut on June 4, he showed flashes of having elite strikeout stuff with 106 K's over 88 2/3 innings. While there are concerns about his walk rate being well above the league average -- which is also something that has plagued him in the minors -- he showed an ability to get major league batters out via the punch out. Not only was his strikeout rate in the 81st percentile at 27.7%, but his whiff rate was also in the 78th percentile at 29.3%. And to do that without overwhelming fastball velocity or "stuff" -- his Stuff+ figure was 99 -- that adds to how impressive he was at striking out big league hitters despite finishing the season with a 4.16 ERA across 19 starts.Things might not look pretty for the 25-year-old lefty when he first returns. Following Tommy John surgery, normally the last thing to return is control, which is something he already struggled with before the injury. Still, it's important the Nationals push him back to the mound if he's cleared to return instead of boxing him up like the previous regime might have done. Because they have to get an idea if Herz can be a long-term guy for them. While they won't necessarily get an answer during the second half of 2026, that at least will give him reps to knock off the rust from the time he missed so he can go into the offseason and prepare for the 2027 campaign, where there could be some competition for a rotation spot. And based on what Herz showed in 2024, it would be hard to keep him out of one if he is able to maintain that same ability to strike batters out following his surgery.Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he worked at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad became the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continued to cover Penn State athletics. Currently, Brad is the Publisher for Washington Nationals On SI and covers multiple teams across the On SI network. He is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, where he and his co-host discuss topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai
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