Another Nationals Arm Gets Named International League Pitcher of the Week

The Washington Nationals now have two of their arms who were named the International Pitcher of the Week.

White Washington Nationals hat on top of a black mitt | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

So far this season, has been more lows than highs for the Washington Nationals pitching staff.

While Foster Griffin's incredible return to the majors has been a huge boon for the rotation, the average performance from Cade Cavalli and the struggles of Zack Littell, Miles Mikolas and the bullpen has put the Nationals 29th in the MLB with an ERA of 5.24.

A positive for Washington is that they appear to have a solid stable of arms on their farm. Not only are eight of their top 15 prospects pitchers, but two of them are also ranked in the top 100 overall. In addition to that, two of their Triple-A arms have taken home International League Pitcher of the Week honors this year.

Andry Lara Named International League Pitcher of the Week

Washington Nationals pitcher Andry Lara | Brad Mills-Imagn Images

Following an impressive start where he threw seven scoreless innings with just two hits allowed and nine strikeouts to zero walks, Minor League Baseball announced that Andry Lara was named the International League Pitcher of the Week. He is the second Nationals farmhand to win this award, as Andrew Alvarez also received that accolade.

Lara, who was signed as an international free agent in 2019 and was once a top 30 prospect in Washington's pipeline, seemed like he no longer had a future with the Nationals this offseason when he was designated for assignment. However, he cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Rochester, which has turned out to be a positive for both parties.

The 23-year-old struggled in his first taste of the majors last season when he was used as a reliever. Across nine outings, he posted an ERA of 8.79 with 10 strikeouts and eight walks in 14 1/3 innings. Now back to being a starter in Triple-A, he owns a 3.53 ERA this year across five appearances (four starts) with 28 strikeouts and just four walks in 23 innings pitched.

Andry Lara Playing His Way Into Another Opportunity in Majors

Washington Nationals pitcher Andry Lara | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

There has been some shuffling going on when it comes to Washington's pitching staff during the early going of this campaign. And if the struggles continue for many of the arms on the big league roster, then more players should get an opportunity to display what they can do in The Show.

Based on how Lara has performed thus far, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him get recalled at some point this season. How he's utilized will be something this new regime has to decide upon, though, since he has performed much better as a starter this year and he struggled when he was used as a reliever during his limited time in the majors.

Either way, the right-hander is someone to keep an eye on regarding a potential callup. And his next experience in the MLB could go much better after he has performed at a level that earned him International League Pitcher of the Week honors.