Mitchell Parker

March 21, 2025

Favorite for rotation spot

Parker appears to be in the lead for the Nationals' fifth starter job, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.

Analysis

The 25-year-old southpaw worked six innings in a minor-league game Thursday as he gets stretched out for the regular season. Parker has merely been competent this spring, posting a 3.65 ERA and 8:4 K:BB over 12.1 Grapefruit League innings, but that's been good enough to move ahead of DJ Herz, who is still trying to get comfortable on the mound after tweaking his mechanics in the offseason, and Shinnosuke Ogasawara, who simply hasn't looked capable of retiring big-league hitters. Parker delivered a 4.29 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 133:43 K:BB over 151 innings in his MLB debut in 2024, and his minor-league numbers suggest he might have another level he can reach as he consistently posted K/9 rates above 10.0 as he moved up the ladder.