Former Washington Nationals First-Round Pick Now Buried on Team's Depth Chart
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This is an exciting time for the Washington Nationals and their fan base.
The fruits of their rebuilding labor are finally starting to reveal themselves with the arrival of multiple star prospects to play alongside the original building blocks of MacKenzie Gore and CJ Abrams who were part of the headlining package in the Juan Soto trade.
While the young sluggers in the lineup get the majority of the attention, this starting rotation also has plenty of talented players who could become stars for this franchise.
Outside of Gore, Jake Irvin has proven himself to be a real weapon. DJ Herz and Mitchell Parker impressed when they were called up last year. And first-round pick Cade Cavalli and second-round pick Josiah Gray figure to be factors when they return from their injuries.
It's a group that has a ton of upside, one of the reasons why Michael Soroka and Trevor Williams were only brought in on short-term deals this winter.
Who will become the five starting pitchers going forward remains to be seen, but according to Mark Zuckerman of MASN, another former first-round pick of the Nationals, Jackson Rutledge, is on the outside looking in when it comes to his standing with the franchise.
"... Rutledge (who was dealing with a minor ankle ailment) was bypassed in place of Parker, who seized the opportunity and ran with it much like Irvin did in 2023. Rutledge wound up making only three big league appearances all season, starting just one game in a pinch. He remains on the 40-man roster and could work his way back into the mix, but clearly he's been bypassed on the depth chart at this point," he wrote.
Taken 17th overall in 2019, the right-hander hasn't necessarily impressed during his time in the minors.
While Rutledge was solid in his first year of professional baseball with a 3.13 ERA across his 10 starts, he's struggled against the higher level of competition he's faced.
Injury could have hindered him in 2024, but it's not a great sign to see him post a 6.40 ERA in 27 starts in Triple-A, especially since he doesn't have overwhelming strikeout stuff and struggles with command.
At 25 years old, there's a chance he can work his way back into the mix.
After all, injuries happen over the course of a long season and he could be the next one who gets called up and performs well when given the chance.
However, Rutledge is facing an uphill battle when it comes to his place on the rotation's depth chart, so he's going to need to show that he can be a featured part of the Nationals' outlook going forward.
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