Washington Nationals Reliever Has Sights Set on Making Franchise History

One of the Washington Nationals bullpen arms is looking to make history this year.

Sep 29, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals relief pitcher Derek Law (58) walks back to the dugout against the Philadelphia Phillies during the ninth inning at Nationals Park | Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

One of the most important Washington Nationals relievers is back doing baseball activities.

Derek Law, the minor league addition in 2024 who became a staple out of their bullpen last year with a 2.60 ERA across his 75 outings and 90 innings pitched, has been purposefully sidelined for the early part of spring training to save his arm for the regular season.

Why?

"I want to break the record," he said, per Mark Zuckerman of MASN.

The record he's talking about is the most innings pitched in a singular campaign for a Nationals reliever, a feat he was just three frames away from reaching last year to tie Saul Rivera's club record of 93 innings that was accomplished in 2007.

To achieve Law's goal, he has to stay healthy.

So Washington put together a delayed throwing program that will still have him ready for Opening Day and the first part of the season, but also has reduced the amount of pitches he will have on his arm prior to the campaign getting underway.

"Barring any setbacks, Law will probably throw to live hitters at least twice more in the coming week before he finally makes his Grapefruit League debut. He believes three game appearances will suffice to get him ready for Opening Day," reported Zuckerman.

On Monday, the right-hander threw his first live pitches to batters of the offseason, and as expected, he didn't look sharp with two of his 30 pitches getting blasted over the fence.

But with him now ramping up by competing in live action, Law should start finding his rhythm.

"I was really happy with the energy I kept through the 30 pitches. Honestly, just finishing all my pitches where I was for the first time against hitters, (if it was) the first week of the spring I'd be super happy about that stuff. It's hard not to put pressure on myself right now, because we're inching closer. But it's right there, which was great to see," the reliever added.

He'll be someone to keep an eye on throughout spring.

With his lofty goal heading into the season, it's paramount the Nationals get his ramp up timing right so he's ready for Opening Day.

Whether Law is able to actually break the franchise record will be determined by his health and performance, something that will be a storyline to follow the entire year.