Nationals Pitcher Brad Lord Should Be in Consideration for NL Rookie of the Year
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There hasn’t been much for the Washington Nationals to get excited about during the 2025 MLB regular season, which has been incredibly disappointing, especially in recent weeks.
Coming into the year, the Nationals had won 71 games in back-to-back years, but optimism was on the rise. The team had an emerging young core, creating some excitement that had some people wondering if this would be the year the team took a step forward.
Alas, that has not happened, but 2025 hasn’t been a totally lost campaign because a few of their young players have put together strong seasons, looking like foundational pieces for the future.
One of the more surprising breakouts has been pitcher Brad Lord, who should receive some consideration for the National League Rookie of the Year Award with how well he has performed regardless of the role the team has put him in.
A surprise part of the Opening Day roster, he earned a spot with how well he threw in spring training. But, it wasn’t as a starting pitcher, which he had been throughout his career; he was a relief pitcher out of the gate.
An unorthodox workout regiment over the offseason, that included a seasonal job at Home Depot, prepared him for the rigors of the regular season and things have worked out well for him.
Lord’s first three appearances of the 2025 season came as a relief pitcher before he was moved into the rotation when injuries struck. He would make six starts before transitioning back to the bullpen.
Brad Lord has been one of best rookies in NL
26 more appearances were made as a relief pitcher, with his production improving as he got more and more acclimated to the role.
But, right before the MLB trade deadline, Lord was moved back into the starting rotation, where he looks like he will remain for the rest of the season and has once again been coming into his own.
He had one of his finest outings of the season in his most recent start against the San Francisco Giants, throwing six innings and allowing only one earned run on four hits and two walks to go along with five strikeouts, earning his third win of the campaign.
He is now a qualified pitcher to be featured in the NL rookie ranks and has been one of the best young pitchers in the league, handling the yo-yoing of roles with relative ease.
As shared by the Nationals Communications Department on X, Lord is inside the top three of several categories, looking like a long-term part of the franchise’s plans on the mound.
After yesterday's outing, Brad Lord now ranks among qualified NL rookies in:
— Nationals Communications (@NationalsComms) August 10, 2025
Games - 1st, 39
ERA - 2nd, 3.28
SO - 2nd, 70
Holds, 2nd, 7
WHIP - 2nd, 1.21
opp. AVG - 2nd, .239
opp. SLG - 2nd, .350
opp. OPS - 2nd, .656
opp. OBP - 3rd, .306 pic.twitter.com/V13Y7AaJ5I
He has appeared in the most games for NL rookies, owning the second best ERA, number of strikeouts, holds, WHIP, opponent’s batting average, opponent slugging percentage and opponent OPS. His opponent on-base percentage is third best.
Across 85 innings, he has a 3.28 ERA with 70 strikeouts with a 1.212 WHIP and 3.62 FIP. He has excelled at limiting hard contact, which means less damage being recorded against him. The average exit velocity of 87.2 mph and hard-hit rate of 39.1% are both better than the league average.
The future looks incredibly bright for Lord, who has proven he can succeed regardless of what role the coaching staff asks of him.
