Trevor Williams‘ resurgence with the Washington Nationals has seen him jump out to a 4-0 record with a 1.96 ERA in seven starts. Williams has yet to surrender a home run, and he’s also one of the reasons why this team is hanging around the .500 mark.
2024 Spring Training
After a terrible 2023 season, Williams was fighting to stay in the starting rotation for 2024. He was out to prove that last season was just a stumble that he is ready to forget and move on from. During Spring Training, Nationals coaches considered making him a transition pitcher, a long reliever, or a fill-in starter. However, even though he did not have the best camp, he was named the No. 5 starter.
Pitching with Confidence
This season, Williams is pitching with confidence after struggling last year to a 6-10 record and a 5.55 ERA. Williams also led the league in home runs surrendered with 34 in 2023. During Spring Training this year, he worked with pitching coach Jim Hickey to adjust his pitch selection. He has thrown his slider and sinker more, resulting in additional ground-ball outs.
Trevor Williams is now 4-0 after finishing with eight strikeouts, matching his career high, and without issuing any walks against Baltimore.
The righty after the Beltway Series opener victory. pic.twitter.com/TzOTZNqpC3
— Nationals on MASN (@masnNationals) May 8, 2024
Sweeper Pitch
Another part of Williams’ current success can be attributed to a sweeper pitch worked into his repertoire. Hitters have found this pitch a challenge to figure out and hit. With a .167 average, Williams has kept hitters off balance and has seen many swings and misses with this pitch.
Keeping the Ball Down
Williams’ resurgence has also seen him keep the ball down and get ahead in counts. By mixing pitches and applying his fastball when needed, he has increased his poise on the mound. Williams is also keeping his pitch count down and going deeper into games. He is doing everything manager Dave Martinez has asked him to do and he is becoming the leader of this pitching staff.
Can Trevor Williams Sustain This Success?
It is early in the season and chances are that Williams will not go undefeated. He is expected to struggle in a few games; that’s only natural. Additionally, at some point, opponents will adjust to his new pitching approach. When that happens, the organization will hope that Williams can bounce back quickly and use his self-assurance and confidence to overcome these obstacles.
Young Staff
Trevor Williams’ resurgence is showing, and the Nationals have a young staff around him in Josiah Gray, MacKenzie Gore, Jake Irvin, and Mitchell Parker. Add in Williams emerging as a significant veteran contributor and the future looks bright for this team.
The Nationals are coming off a 2023 season in which they won 71 games. This season, there is a reasonable expectation that they can be a .500 team. If Williams continues to impress and the other young pitchers can perform, baseball fans in D.C. might be able to stay connected with this team past the All-Star break.
If Williams can sustain or even stay close to his current performance level, he could lead this team to that .500 record.
Some numbers from the national’s rotation this year 👇
• Mitchell Parker: 2-0 || 1.69 ERA
• Trevor Williams: 3-0 || 2.27 ERA
• Jake Irvin: 2-2 || 4.28 ERA
• Mackenzie Gore 2-3 || 3.19 ERAJosiah Gray still on IL….. is this rotation better than we thought? 😳🔥 pic.twitter.com/fz7yYPyAum
— 🚀 DC Rising 🚀 (@DC__Rising) May 2, 2024
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