Unique Offseason Training Regimen Has Nationals Right-Hander Brad Lord Ready for the Season

How did Brad Lord, a non-roster invitee to spring training with the Washington Nationals, spend his offseason? Lifting, of course.

Just not the kind of weights you might imagine.

Try heavy boxes filled with, maybe, gas grills waiting to be assembled. Or bags and bags of mulch and fertilizer.

Lord, a right-handed pitcher, worked with his trainer in the morning in Tampa, Fla., then headed to the Home Depot in Bradenton, where he worked the late afternoon shift to pay the bills. That’s according to The Washington Post, which published a heartwarming look at Lord, 25, on Saturday.

“I mean, I guess lifting Christmas trees I got stronger,” Lord told the newspaper. “Weird way to work out, but yeah.”

The Nationals selected Lord in the 18th round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of the University of South Florida.

In his second season of pro ball in 2024, Lord reached Triple-A Rochester after just one start at High-A Wilmington and 12 at Double-A Harrisburg, where he was 8-1 with a 1.66 ERA. At Rochester he was 2-3.

In all, Lord finished 2024 at 10-4, with a 2.78 ERA in 25 starts. He struck out 135 batters over 129.2 innings.

Home Depot fit in with his training schedule and taught him a different kind of work ethic, but it also motivated him to push even harder for his ultimate dream. The Post said he went to work with Brad Lord, a distant cousin who is the pitching coach at Class-A Fredericksburg, getting his body to contort to the proper angles when he pitches.

His velocity improved, as did his consistency.

“It just fit like a glove,” Brad Lord told The Post of the training.

Will these newfound skills translate to a roster spot out of spring training? Maybe not. But he’ll be able to return to Rochester with a plan and a newfound confidence in a fastball that can reach as high as 97 mph, remaining just a phone call away from Washington and the big leagues.

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