Former Dodgers Pitcher Suddenly Retires at 29, Discusses Transition to Scouting

Mark Washington's return to the Los Angeles Dodgers did not come with a signing announcement, a note on the transactions log or even an announcement on the 30-year-old's Instagram account.

Washington is the Dodgers' newest junior area scout based out of Raleigh, North Carolina. His car has already logged plenty of miles in the state — a baseball hotbed where many college players, and even a few in high school, are on the radar for the July amateur draft.

"Player evaluation wasn't something I really thought about," Washington said in a telephone interview with Dodgers On SI this week. "The Dodgers — I was there for seven years. It's just awesome, like a full-circle moment, where the team that drafted me, I'm now employed by them."

Washington was a 25th-round draft pick by the Dodgers out of Lehigh (Pennsylvania) University in 2017. He transitioned almost immediately to a full-time relief role, and by 2022 made his Triple-A debut.

Over the next two seasons, Washington made 57 appearances with Oklahoma City, the Dodgers' top minor league affiliate. He also got into 11 Cactus League games, allowing one run in eight innings.

In 2023, Washington went 4-1 with a 3.69 ERA and struck out nearly a batter an inning for the Oklahoma City Dodgers.

"I'd like to think I was pretty dang close [to getting called up to the majors], he said. "Talking to a couple teammates from other organizations that we had on the team, [they said] 'if you were in any other organization you'd be a big leaguer.' ... I developed a little two-seam that upped my velo, then I had two fastballs. The two-seam helped me so much."

For all the progress Washington made with his new repertoire, his body did not cooperate. Even while his surface-level numbers suggested he was ready for the big leagues, Washington was pitching through a fractured L4 vertebra in his lower back for weeks. What felt like mere stiffness proved to be more severe when a follow-up scan revealed the fracture.

Although Washington recovered, and signed with the Houston Astros as a minor league free agent in 2024, his career had peaked.

The Astros released Washington after three Triple-A games with a 21.60 ERA. He spent the next two years in independent ball, pitching well for the league but not well enough to get another opportunity with an affiliated minor league team. The desire to pitch remained; the offers to pitch did not.

"I definitely do have the desire to play," Washington said. "It's tough coming to terms with being done. Where my body was, physically, I had a couple more years in me for sure."

The offer to rejoin the Dodgers sealed the deal. Washington is taking online courses through the University of Southern New Hampshire, working toward a degree in sports management. Like a lot of recently retired players, his first year of tuition is covered.

Whether the degree comes to fruition or not, Washington already has a head start on his scouting career with the defending World Series champions.

"Even though I didn't achieve my goal of helping the big league club out, I can actually have some input and help the Dodgers win a World Series the next few years," he said.

Washington said he'll be in the draft room this summer and shouldn't have a hard time letting his voice be heard. At 6-foot-7, he might have a hard time blending in.

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