Everything about DJ Herz’s games is a little unconventional. From his funky mechanics to his unique weaponry, the 23-year-old left-hander is tough to beat. While there are parts of his game that show he has ace potential, there are also some major flaws that need to be fixed.
The Hurts came to Washington, DC. trade Sent Jaymar Candelario to the Cubs. Throughout his minor league career, Hurts collected strikeouts and limited his hits, but struggled to throw strikes. he walked In 321 minor league innings, he faced 5.9 batters per nine innings. However, his 12.8 strikeouts per nine and 5.6 hits per nine were enough to move him up to the late minor leagues.
After some virtually wild starts in Triple-A, Hurts was called up to the big leagues in early June. Hurts started 19 games in MLB and had some dominant starts, including a 13-strikeout, no-walk gem against the Marlins. However, there were too many games where Hurts didn’t give the Nationals the depth they needed, pitching eight and five complete innings in 19 starts.
Other than Mackenzie Gore, Hurts has the best of the Nationals’ young MLB starters. His fastball is an especially good pitch. The heater whiffed at a 30.5% clip. 10th place Among pitchers who faced at least 100 batters in baseball. This is despite having below average speed. The combination of deception and movement in his pitching made his fastball a weapon. Having an elite fastball to rely on is invaluable and something most first-line starters have. Hurts also had a plus changeup, widely considered his best pitch in the minors.
For Hertz to take the next step, he needs to become more efficient. Given his command issues, he’ll never be a consistent starter pitching six or seven innings. But he has the potential to pitch five or six innings consistently. In this day and age, that would make you a very good starting pitcher.
Looking ahead to 2025, Herz’s future still holds wide-ranging consequences. He will start the season in the Nationals’ rotation and should have a good chance of establishing himself as the starter. If all goes well, he could be the No. 2 starter. However, if command and efficiency stall, he could remain a frustrating “five-and-dive” starting pitcher or reliever. Mike Rizzo already won the trade for Candelario by acquiring such a high-potential arm. However, if Hertz can develop, he could be the franchise that changes the Freese.
