Jake Irvin DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

The Washington Nationals previously named left-hander MacKenzie Gore as the starter for their Grapefruit League opener on Saturday against the Houston Astros, but he's being pushed back because he wants to be able to go two innings in his debut. Instead, right-hander Jake Irvin will make the start on Saturday. Gore and Irvin will be Washington's top two starting pitchers heading into the 2025 season, with Gore most likely getting the nod to pitch on Opening Day on March 27 at home against the division-rival Philadelphia Phillies. The 25-year-old southpaw will be looking to take the next step in his third year in D.C. after going 10-12 with a career-best 3.90 ERA (3.53 FIP) and 1.42 WHIP with a career-high 181 strikeouts and 65 walks in 166 1/3 innings over 32 starts. Opponents had a high .340 BABIP against him, but he also had the third-worst WHIP in baseball. Gore is RotoBaller's No. 69 fantasy starting pitcher.

Washington Nationals starting pitcher Jake Irvin (10-12) delivered a quality start on Wednesday as the Nats defeated the Atlanta Braves 5-1. Irvin allowed one run on two hits and walked one while striking out five in six innings. He also earned the win. Pitching in his second season, Irving has taken tremendous steps forward and has become a promising young player that the Nationals can build around. In 30 starts (172 IP), Irvin has pitched to a 4.19 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. Both are vast improvements over his numbers in 2023 (4.62 ERA and 1.42 WHIP in 121 IP). The 27-year-old is scheduled for two starts next week and will look to keep things rolling in his next scheduled start Monday on the road against the New York Mets.

Washington Nationals right-hander Jake Irvin imploded in his final start before the All-Star break on Sunday when he surrendered seven runs (six earned) on nine hits (two home runs) while walking three and striking out three in just four innings in a loss to the hosting Milwaukee Brewers. Irvin had been on a nice stretch for the Nationals and fantasy managers, but in his last two starts, including Sunday, the 27-year-old has given up 13 runs (12 earned). He has allowed plenty of hard contact this year but heads into the break with a solid 3.49 ERA (3.85 FIP) and 1.11 WHIP with a career-high-tying 99 strikeouts and 29 walks in 116 innings over 20 starts. Although Irvin has looked better in his second year in the big leagues, this is a reminder that he still has work to do. After throwing 121 innings in his rookie year, Irvin is already up to 116 this season.