This morning I had the privilege of going into the Nationals locker room during their media availability time. I had the chance to talk to a few pitchers and they updated me on how their spring’s were going. It was very cool to be in there and the players gave thoughtful answers.
The first person I talked to was Brad Lord, who is entering a big season. Before he became a big leaguer, Lord famously worked at Home Depot in the offseason. While he does not have to do that anymore, he told me that not much
has changed in his offseason routine. Lord told me that he had “The same throwing program and buildup time”. Luckily for him, he can now do that without shifts at Home Depot.
According to Lord, these throwing programs and workout routines are all done in communication with the team. That is something I thought to be the case, but it is cool to have that confirmed by a big leaguer.
While there was a ton of change in the organization, the new regime did not make any major changes to his arsenal. He told me that he has a slightly different changeup grip, but this offseason was about “fine-tuning” his arsenal rather than making any radical changes. Sometimes pitchers don’t need to make radical changes, and that seems to be the team’s belief about Lord.
One person I was surprised to see in the locker room was Zack Littell. While he has not officially signed with the team yet, he is in the building. I had the chance to chat with him for a little bit, and he gave some really thoughtful answers. Once his signing is officially official, I can show you those quotes.
While Brad Lord made some smaller tweaks, Jake Irvin made some bigger changes. He said he has been “working on a lot of different things with the new staff”. Irvin also mentioned how it has been fun to see how the new staff member’s minds work.
The biggest change he made was adding a sweeper. Irvin also talked about how he is “working to get the velo up”. Getting that velocity back to where it was in 2024 would be a game changer for Irvin. He lost over a tick on his fastball last season. In his first spring start his velocity was down even more. However, it was back to 2025 levels in his second start.
Irvin hopes there is more in the tank as he continues to build up this spring. He said that his velocity was continuing to trend in the right direction during his bullpen on the backfields the other day. Irvin thinks that his new sweeper adds a different dimension to his arsenal.
One interesting thing he told me was that he hopes to “Use my whole arsenal together to make swing decisions harder”. I really liked that quote and thought it showed a high level of pitching IQ. All of a pitcher’s pitches need to play off of each other in a way that makes each pitch better. Irvin is aware of that and it is something he wants to do in 2026.
The last pitcher I talked to was Drew Smith. He signed with the team on a Minor League deal, but the veteran has a good chance of making the team. Before undergoing Tommy John Surgery in the summer of 2024, he was a mainstay in the Mets bullpen.
Now, at 32 years old, he is a veteran in a young clubhouse. He admitted that this is not what he is used to, adding, “In New York it was more of a veteran group, and this group is definitely young, which is actually nice. I have never been considered an older guy, but here I am”. Smith also mentioned that the energy and vibes were good, which is something you would usually associate with a younger group.
On an individual level, it is clear that Smith is not totally satisfied, despite a pair of scoreless outings this spring. He is trying to get back to his pre-surgery level, but does not think he is there yet.
One thing he brought up a couple times is that he is “moving a little too slowly for my liking”. That is not a saying I had heard before, but it makes sense. As a pitcher you need to be explosive, and Smith feels like he is not all the way back yet. His velocity is down about a tick, but given all the time he has missed, that is not surprising.
Smith told me he hopes to make four to five more appearances this spring and stressed that in-game action will help him get back up to speed. I actually wrote about Smith the other day, and mentioned how he may need a little bit of time in AAA to ramp up properly.
With these quotes, I definitely think he could use some time to get his feet wet again in professional baseball. He has missed a year and a half, so some rust is only natural. However, Smith’s stuff is really good, and he has shown that this spring, even if he is not totally himself yet. Smith is going to play a role in the Nats bullpen, though it might not be on Opening Day.
He seems like a good veteran to have around, and I think he has plenty of gas left in the tank. Smith also mentioned he has been working on a couple new pitches. His slider has been much slower than it was pre-surgery, so I would not be surprised if that slider is actually a couple different shapes.
It was very cool to get his access, and the players were great. I am down in West Palm Beach for the next few days, so if you have any questions you think I should ask, comment down below.
