The Washington have one of the best 1-3 starters in all of Major League Baseball. Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, and Patrick Corbin are three bonafide aces, that together is a scary trio for opposing hitters to face back-to-back-to-back. However, the Nationals are struggling for suitable candidates in their starting rotation beyond the trio. Enter Erick Fedde, Washington’s first-round pick in 2014, is developing into a reliable arm.
After a shaky couple of years on the big league level as a spot starter, Fedde entered this season working from the bullpen in long relief.
After getting seasoned in Double-A Harrisburg, Fedde is back on the main roster. In large due to the struggles and injuries of the Nationals’ god-awful bullpen. When both Jeremy Hellickson and Anibal Sanchez hit the injured list, Fedde got the ball on the mound to start Sunday.
He did not disappoint, pitching five shutout innings, allowing four hits and three walks with four strikeouts on 83 pitches. He was just as impressive in a May 21 start against the New York Mets, allowing one run in five innings.
In two starts he has an eye-popping 0.90 ERA and 1.200 WHIP through 10 innings. That just adds to his year of development. Through seven appearances this season, Fedde, who now calls himself a “starting reliever,” has an career-best 2.18 ERA and 1.113 WHIP.
As Hellickson and Sanchez’s returns near, manager Dave Martinez may need to consider Fedde being an option in the Nationals’ rotation. Hellickson hasn’t been able to be steady all year, posting a 6.23 ERA and 1.718 WHIP in eight starts, before being placed on the IL with shoulder tendinitis.
Sanchez is set to throw a bullpen session Monday that puts him in line to return Wednesday against the Braves. However, he hasn’t recorded a win this season and tied for most losses in MLB with six. He has 5.10 ERA and 1.677 WHIP.
As the Nationals try to turn around their season, they’ll need to find stability behind Scherzer, Strasburg, and Corbin on the starting rotation just as much as they need setup guys in the bullpen. While it appears to be increasingly difficult to find ways to improve the bullpen, Washington may have an answer in their own clubhouse to solve their issues in the starting rotation.
Fedde, 26, is showing evidence that he is developing into the reliable arm the Nationals hoped for when they took him 18th overall in 2014.
