Jake Irvin was never a highly touted prospect in the Washington Nationals organization. He never had eye-popping numbers in the minor leagues and had solid, but not overwhelming stuff. When he made his debut in 2023, he was the third most exciting former Oklahoma Sooners pitcher in the Nationals farm system behind Cade Cavalli and Jake Bennett. Now he has established himself as a cornerstone of the Nationals rotation. But it’s tough to ignore CJ Abrams as the club’s lone All-Star representative as Irvin is an All-Star snub. He should be there with his teammate.
Jake Irvin Deserves to Be an All-Star
Washington drafted Irvin in the fourth round of the 2018 MLB Draft. He began his pro career at Low-A Hagerstown in 2019, where he performed well. After that, he did not pitch again until 2022 due to the pandemic in 2020 and Tommy John surgery which wiped out his 2021 season. At this point, Irvin was 25 and had yet to pitch above A ball. However, 2022 was a big year for Irvin, with the right-hander coming back from elbow surgery better than ever and was effective in High-A Wilmington and Double-A Harrisburg.
Irvin’s breakthrough would come in 2023 when he finally got the call to the big leagues. His call-up was a surprise, as the right-hander had struggled in Triple-A Rochester, posting a 5.64 ERA in 22 1./3 innings. Once he got called up, Irvin was a pleasant surprise. He did not have fantastic stats in his rookie year, but Irvin showed flashes and put together a solid season. He posted a 4.61 ERA in 121 innings, while largely avoiding blow-up starts.
However, everything changed for Irvin in 2024. With improved command and a few adjustments, Irvin has turned into a beast.
Improvements and Breakthrough
The biggest improvement Irvin made was in his strike-throwing. The Nationals‘ “I don’t care how hard you throw ball 4” sign was maligned during spring training, but it has worked for Irvin. He has cut his BB/9 from 4.02 to 2.04, transforming his game. He has put himself in advantageous counts, which has made his curveball a devastating pitch. Irvin is a master at manipulating his curveball, landing it for strikes early in the count and using it as a chase pitch to get swings and misses. He uses his four-seam fastball up in the zone to get swings and misses, while mixing in a sinker at the bottom of the zone to get ground balls. Irvin added a cutter this off-season to give him another option against left-handed hitters, who hit him hard in 2023.
The results have been undeniable. Irvin is the club’s greatest success story this year, with a 2.80 ERA ranking fifth in the National League. He has a 1.65 ERA in his last eight starts and ranks in the top ten in the NL in ERA, IP, WHIP, FIP and bWAR. Irvin has had an All-Star-worthy season but did not get selected to the team. Like he has throughout his career, Irvin was overlooked and continues to do so.
Irvin Is an Example of the Nationals Building Core
Irvin has been the brightest example of the Nationals improved starting pitching in 2024. Along with Irvin, MacKenzie Gore and Mitchell Parker have been very good this season, with both posting sub-4 ERA’s. Most of the credit for the improved pitching goes to assistant pitching coach and fan favorite Sean Doolittle, who has offered a more analytical approach. Doolittle’s data-driven approach has paired well with the experience head pitching coach Jim Hickey brings.
Jake Irvin is a win for the Nats player development system, which has come under fire in recent years. He went from an afterthought to a pillar of the next great Nationals rotation.
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