This time last year, Brad Lord was one of the biggest stories in National Spring Training. After working at Home Depot during the offseason, the former 18th round pick worked his way onto the Nationals roster. After a solid rookie season, Lord is flying much more under the radar.
He is a lock to make the roster, the only question is what role he will play. Lord is a calm and fluid guy, which makes him the ideal candidate to bounce around between the rotation and the bullpen. He just wants to help the team in any way he can. The Lord told me that He would “do whatever they need and I am always open to anything.”
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For the moment, he is preparing to become a starter, but he does not know what his ultimate role will be. After signing Zack Littell, I think he will likely head to the bullpen. He was more effective out of the bullpen last year, assignment a 2.79 ERA in this role. However, he was reliable wherever he threw and was a rare bright spot on a brutal Nats pitching staff.
Lord faded a bit over time, but he still had a great rookie season for a guy taken in the 18th round. He job a 4.34 ERA in 130.2 innings as a rookie. Its ability to generate Ground balls and keeping the ball out of the barrel made him a solid MLB pitcher. To get to the next level, he’ll need to fine-tune some of his secondary pitches, as he was very dependent on the fastball last year.
He thrown away either a 4-seamer or a sinker 66.5% of the time last year. With the Nationals reducing fastball usage, I expect that to decrease. However, heating should always be the Lord’s bread and butter. Her low arm slot and solid speed make his fastballs pretty good. He just needs another weapon that hitters have to respect.
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Lord told me one thing he was fine-tuning was his changeup. He didn’t make massive changes, but the right-hander refined his changeup grip. Last year, the changeup was a solid weapon for lefties, but nothing special. This change in grip could improve the terrain. Lord used the changeup to overwhelm Nolan Gorman yesterday in his spring training outing.
Yesterday was the best look Lord has had this spring. Six of his nine outs came via the ball on the ground, which is exactly what you want to see from him. Getting quick takedowns is a big part of Lord’s game. This is what makes him a solid starter and a fantastic swingman.
Lord was at his best last season in this swing man role. From late May to early August, he was dominant, posting a 2.20 ERA during that span. When he moved to the full-time rotation, he got a bit of exposure over time. I also think he started to burn out at the end of his first MLB season.
Regardless of his role, Brad Lord will be a key part of the Nats’ pitching staff. He’s a guy who can stand out in a variety of roles, which is very important in the modern game. Although he is unlikely to start the season in the rotation, he will be the next man up when injuries inevitably arise.
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Last season he do 48 appearances with 19 starts. I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw something like this again. He can just do whatever the manager asks him to do, which is incredibly valuable. Brad Lord’s name isn’t on the tip of fans’ tongues like it was last year, but I think he’s poised to once again become a vital part of the Nats’ pitching staff.
