40 in 40: Dylan Floro
Nationals have another veteran on their hand in Dylan Floro.
Dylan Floro
Position: Right-Handed Relief Pitcher
Current status: MLB
How acquired: Signed a one-year, $2.25M deal this winter.
2023 Grade: B-
2024 Opening Day Projection: Middle relief option
2023 stats: 62 G | 18 GF | 0 GS | 56.2 IP| 70 H | 3 HR | 30 ER | 17 BB | 58 SO | 4.76 ERA | 5 W | 6 L | 1.1 fWAR | -0.1 bWAR
2023 Outlook: Dylan Floro is a 6’2” right-handed bullpen pitcher the Nationals signed to a one-year deal this offseason. This will be Floro's ninth big league season. He had a 4.76 ERA with seven saves in 2023. He notched all seven saves with the Miami Marlins before being traded to the Twins at the trade deadline.
Floro's most used pitch is his four-seam fastball, but relied on his sinker and slider more in 2-strike counts. He also throws a changeup against left-handed hitters.
Floro’s 2023 was either great or merely acceptable depending on who you ask. His 4.86 ERA was tied for 24th highest among 162 qualified relievers, but his FIP was the 24th lowest among that same group. A major part of Floro’s success has been his ability to limit the long ball (three HR allowed in 2023) and on the ground (54.7%).
But last season, he pitched in front of a much worse infield defense than in the previous season. In 2022, the Marlins had 19 Outs Above Average (OAA). Between his time with the Marlins and Twins in 2023, the teams had -13 OAA while he pitched for them.
2024 Outlook: As the 2024 season approaches, the 32-year-old pitcher is delayed in ramping up due to tightness in his shoulder. Despite the setback, he is expected to make the Opening Day roster. Floro has always been a hardworking and honest player, especially when assessing his pitching performance.
"It wasn’t a good year for me, I know that,” Floro said in an interview with Jessica Camerato of MLB.com. “I had some bad luck, people said, but at the end of the day, I’m the one pitching. I just got to figure out a way to get it done. I know coming back this year, I’m feeling good. I've done a couple changes. I've been working on some different things, executing pitches a little bit better with two strikes. There's little things that I can change to hopefully go into next year and it'll help me out."
The Nationals added a veteran and a World Series champion pitcher to their bullpen. Being a veteran, he is expected to mentor other pitchers in the bullpen. If the Nationals just replicate their 2023 defense Floro should be a productive addition, and if players like CJ Abrams and Luis García Jr. take a step forward defensively, he could climb the depth chart in the bullpen. The Nationals are getting a valuable addition to their bullpen, and his veteran experience should help elevate the team's performance.
