40 in 40: DJ Herz
Acquired late last year the strikeout machine looks to improve in Triple-A.
DJ Herz
Position: Left-handed Starting Pitcher
Current Status: Triple-A
How Acquired: Joined the Nationals as a part of the Jeimer Candelario trade at the 2023 trade deadline.
2023 Grade: B
2024 Opening Day Projection: AAA Rochester starter
2023 Stats: (AA) W-L: 3-3, 3.43 ERA, 94.1 IP, 1.42 WHIP
2023 Analysis: A stellar season for DJ Herz in the minors at the AA level, both for Tennessee and Harrisburg. Herz is a guy with nasty strikeout stuff. Sending 133 batters back to the dugout in just 94 innings of work.
Since moving over to Harrisburg in the Candelario trade, Herz only improved, cutting his ERA down by almost a run and a half from 3.97 to 2.55 in just 20 fewer innings. Herz also won pitcher of the week in August after joining the Nationals organization. He will stay in the minors this season but with his stuff, he could be a force to be reckoned with soon
2024 Outlook: Herz was optioned down to Triple-A Rochester on Monday, while he isn’t on the opening day roster, it’s an upgrade for a guy who spent all of last season in AA. Herz showed some impressive stuff in the spring in limited work. He only pitched 4 innings but had 5 strikeouts.
Herz does need to work on his walk issue a little bit as he also walked 5 guys in just 4 innings in the spring, but if he can fix his control he should be able to make the jump to the majors in the next couple of seasons, maybe even make a late season bullpen appearance at the end of this season.
