Last offseason, Brad Lord was working at Home Depot to make some extra cash. As a former 18th round pick, who spent multiple seasons in the Minor Leagues, he was not raking in the cash, so he had to make ends
meet. After a successful rookie season, Lord will not need to work on the side anymore.
Lord rose from obscurity and has become a rare success story for a Nationals system that has not had too many hidden gems lately. Drafted in the 18th round out of South Florida, Lord was supposed to just be an organizational depth piece. However, after posting a 2.43 ERA in 129.2 minor league innings last season, he became a factor.
He became even more intriguing this spring when he showed up to camp throwing in the mid-90’s. That exciting spring and a weak Nats bullpen led to Lord winning a roster spot out of camp. It was a spot he never gave back, spending the whole season with the team.
Throughout the year, Lord was thrown into a number of roles. He started the season in the bullpen before quickly moving to the rotation after a Michael Soroka injury. When Soroka returned, Lord went back into the bullpen, where he flourished. Then, when Trevor Williams went down, Lord moved back to the rotation where he finished the season.
He did an admirable job in both roles, but was better out of the bullpen. Lord showed flashes in the rotation, but really seemed to fade towards the end of the season. For Lord to be a starter long term, he needs to refine and maybe add to his arsenal of secondary pitches. If he does not, I am scared that we could see what happened to Parker and Irvin happen to Lord.
In the bullpen, Lord’s fastball had some extra steam on it in short bursts. It sat 95-96 MPH which really helped out the offering. Lord’s low arm slot and big time fastball movement already makes the pitch effective, but the more velocity the better. That is why he posted a 2.79 ERA in 29 relief appearances.
As a starter, things were bumpier, especially down the stretch. In Lord’s 19 starts, he posted a 4.99 ERA. By 2025 Nationals standards, that is pretty good, but overall that is not too great. At 25, Lord has time to sharpen his craft in the rotation, but he also has the chance to fall back into a relief role.
I am interested to see how Toboni views Lord. Does he see him as a bullpen guy, a starter or a swingman? There is a case for any of these options and I am interested to see how things play out.
Lord is also a pitcher that I think would benefit from pitch design. Places like Driveline and Tread Athletics really optimize pitchers’ arsenals and help them improve. Lord has a very good fastball and a funky arm slot to build around. However, his secondary pitches are just underwhelming.
His slider gave up a ton of damage and barely generated more whiffs than the fastball. Lord’s changeup flashed, but a 19% whiff rate on a changeup just is not very good. We know so much about pitch design these days, so I think Lord can benefit from that. Maybe if he goes to Driveline instead of Home Depot, he can find another level to his game. I’ve always thought a sweeper would make sense for him given his lower slot and heavy arm-side fastball.
Even if he does not become more than a solid swingman, Lord was a good find for the Nats. To survive a 162 game season, you need guys like Lord who can eat innings effectively in a variety of roles. Just look at a team like the Brewers. They have so many unsung pitching heroes who can just log innings effectively. The role is TBD, but Brad Lord has a spot on this pitching staff.
Season Grade: A-
