When he was drafted in the 18th round of the 2022 MLB Draft, there was not much expectation from Blood Road. He was meant to be a minor league depth where he could eat innings in the upper minors. Blood Lord was just a body. Despite him $125,000 Signature Bonushe is still I work at Home Depot In the offseason.
In 2023 he offered the minor league innings he’d expect, but it wasn’t noticeable. He posted a 4.04 ERA between low and high A innings. But something special happened in 2024. Blood Road has become one of the best pitchers in the minor leagues. He got 10-4 with a 2.43 ERA in 129.2 innings and attacked 135.
The Lord did this without overwhelming. He used pitchability to put out batters. His sinker and four-seam fastball worked very well with each other. A low-zone sinker was used to get a ground ball and he got a whim by raising four seamers. Despite the slow speeds of the 90s, he got a lot of whims with the heater due to the deception. Neither his changeup nor his slider is a plus pitch, but he mixes them effectively.
The Lord of this spring was outstanding. Yesterday, Statcast became available, so he was able to see the increase in the Lord’s speed. Last year he sat about 91-94 miles on his fastball. Yesterday it was shocking to see his heater in the 95-97 miles range.
If this continues, it becomes the Lord’s complete game changer. In 2025, things were kings and the Lord had solid Arsenal, but nothing stood out. However, the mid-90s sinker/4 seam combination is a reliable way to get rid of big leaguers. After seeing people like DJ Herz and Mitchell Parker appear last year, he can be the arm of the next young Nationals.
Velo’s increase will make his fastball above average pitch. He will also be a viable option in the bullpen. Bloodlord was a good story, but now with this jump he can become a productive big league arm.
There have been many wins recently in Nationals pitching development. Between Jake Irvin, Mitchell Parker, DJ Hertz and now Lord, Natt helps the men reach their ceiling. We’ve also seen it in the new signature Michael Soroka. He looked absolutely electric this spring.
If the Nationals can maintain this pitching development and improve some of the hit side that was not as fruitful from a developmental standpoint, we can cook with gas. Bradroad went from the man after the 18th round who worked at Home Depot to a pitcher who appears to be at MLB level this season.
