Unless you have been living under a rock this year, you would know that the Nationals bullpen has struggled. The unit has an ERA over 5 and has blown a mind boggling 35 saves. However, in the last couple weeks the Nats have called up three home grown relievers who have all gotten off to impressive starts.
It is still very early days for Erik Tolman, Jared Simpson and Jack Sinclair, but so far they have impressed Nats fans. For Simpson and Sinclair, the jury is still very much out, with both only making
one appearance. Tolman has plenty to prove as well but at least he has done it over multiple outings.
With the largest sample size, Tolman is the first name I want to talk about. His first five big league outings could not have gone much better. Through 6.2 innings, he has yet to allow a run and has struck out 8 batters. It also feels like he is getting better each time he takes the mound.
In his last appearance, Tolman came in with the bases loaded and nobody out in the 8th. He responded by getting a strikeout and double play to stamp out the threat. The 27 year old southpaw came back for the 9th and struck out the side. It was extremely impressive stuff from the rookie.
We have talked a lot about Tolman’s story, but his performance on the mound has been almost as impressive. His 97 MPH fastball gets on hitters in a hurry. With opponents fearing the fastball, Tolman can drop in his 85 MPH changeup which gets hitters way out in front. Against lefties, he will also feature a slider.
In the minors, command was an issue for Tolman. However, he has only walked two hitters so far in the big leagues. With a few more impressive outings, Tolman could easily lock down a spot in the 2027 bullpen. The raw stuff is impressive and the command has been better than expected for the former 14th rounder.
That is a theme for all of these guys. All three were late round picks who have command concerns. However, in the early going, all of them have been throwing strikes. Throughout his baseball life, Jared Simpson has struggled throwing strikes. It has gotten better this year, but he is still walking over 5 hitters per 9 in the minors.
However, if you just watched his debut, you would not know that he has any command issues. The lefty out of Iowa was pounding the zone with his 4 pitches. He throws a 4-seamer, a sinker, a splitter and a slider. The sinker has been a massive addition this year and has been a big part of his breakout.
Like Tolman, Simpson came into his last appearance in a tough spot. He made his MLB debut facing the top of the Braves lineup with runners on first and second with nobody out. Simpson responded by getting a double play and flyout.
Just like Tolman, Jared Simpson kept going. He got nine outs while facing just 8 batters. At first, he was pitching to contact a lot. However, as he built up confidence, the strikeouts began to come. Simpson finished his outing by striking out the last two batters he faced. I can’t wait to see the former 8th rounder pitch again.
Jack Sinclair was the latest homegrown reliever to make his debut. He was thrown into a more forgiving spot than Simpson. Sinclair came into a 5-0 deficit, so the stakes were lower. However, he still had to face Max Muncy to start his MLB career.
Sinclair ended up winning a 10 pitch battle with Muncy, finishing him off on his signature sweeper. That sweeper is a pitch that Sinclair will lean on a lot. However, with a sinker at 96 and a 4-seamer that can touch 99, he has enough heat to keep guys honest.
After a breakout 2024 season in AA, Sinclair really struggled in Rochester last year. This season, his ERA was around 4, but he got a lot of strikeouts. His FIP of 3.65 was also encouraging. With the Max Kranick experiment failing, the Nats pulled the plug and decided to give Sinclair a look.
Last night was a good start for the righty, who tossed a 1-2-3 inning. The former 16th round pick looked the part in his debut. All of these guys were drafted by Mike Rizzo, but took major strides with the new regime. Tolman and Sinclair added velocity, while that sinker unlocked a lot for Simpson.
We still need to see more from all of these guys, but at worst, they are quality depth. These three have proven they can get outs at this level and have good stuff. To get full time spots in the bullpen moving forward, they need to do more. However, these are all intriguing arms that the Nats can use as optionable bullpen pieces.
The process to get here has been ugly, but the Nats are finally starting to build some bullpen depth. If Paul Toboni can find a closer this offseason, I actually think the bullpen can make massive strides. These three under the radar arms can be a part of that.
