Mitchell Parker is battling for a spot in a crowded Nationals rotation
One of the main storylines of Nationals Spring Training will be how the starting rotation sorts itself out. Right now it feels like there are seven guys battling for five spots. One of the guys who could be on the outside looking in is Mitchell Parker. However, a big spring could catapult him into the rotation.
Mitchell Parker is one of a few young Nats starting pitchers who established themselves at the big league level. In 151 innings, Parker held his own, posting a 4.29 ERA. While he was not exceptional, he held his own and ate innings for the Nats. He went at least six innings in 13 of his 29 starts, a solid number in this modern era.
Parker came out of the gates hot, posting a 3.06 ERA in his first nine starts before cooling off. This was a trend for a lot of the Nats starters. They began to run out of steam after the all-star break. After the midsummer classic, Parker posted a 4.91 ERA, with his WHIP going from 1.14 in his 17 starts before the break to an alarming 1.57 in his 12 starts afterwards.
While this isn’t a massive deal in the grand scheme of things, Parker might be the worst fielding pitcher I have ever seen at the big league level. In 13 total chances, he made five errors. That makes for a disturbing .615 fielding percentage. Cleaning up that part of his game could help Parker limit big innings and avoid self inflicted wounds.
On the mound, Parker has a solid four pitch mix, with a four-seam fastball, a curveball, a splitter and a slider. No individual pitch is a standout, but they are all solid pitches he is comfortable throwing in any count. His splitter was a devastating put away pitch against right handed hitters, with a 37.2 whiff percentage. However, he got into trouble when he hung the pitch, allowing four home runs and 12 extra base hits. In 2025, I think he could throw his slider more. He only threw it 9.8% of the time in 2024, but got 23 strikeouts and a 36.4% whiff rate.
One thing that Parker improved a lot in the big leagues was his control. In 2022, he walked 6 batters per nine innings in the minor leagues and in 2023 he walked 4.4 per nine, which is better but still too high. However, in the big leagues, he walked 2.6 per nine, a very good number. While being in the zone more and facing better hitters made him more hittable, the trade off for less walks was one he needed to make.
With Mackenzie Gore, Jake Irvin, Michael Soroka, and Trevor Williams being the most likely candidates for the first four spots in the rotation, Parker will be in a heated battle for the final spot. Parker, DJ Herz and Shinnosuke Ogasawara will compete for the final spot in the rotation. Herz is my favorite of the three because he has the highest upside, but it will be a heated competition. Parker’s ability to go deep into games gives him a trump card in the race.
The Nationals could also decide to go with a six man rotation in order to fit in one more guy and limit innings. Parker also has minor league options, so starting the season in Rochester is on the table. However, with how often pitchers get hurt, there is no doubt that Mitchell Parker will get a chance to start games at some point. The only question is when, will he be on the opening day roster, or will he be the first guy up if/when somebody misses time.