Editor’s Note: This is the latest piece in our 40-man breakdown series. You can read the rest of them here.

Jose A. Ferrer

• Position: Left-Handed Relief Pitcher
• Current status: MLB
• How acquired:  Ferrer joined the Nationals in 2017 as an unrestricted international free agent.
• 2023 Grade: B-
• 2024  Projection: Washington Nationals bullpen
• 2023 stats: 39 G | 6 GF |  0 GS | 34.0 IP| HA 37 | 4 HR | 19 ER | 13 BB | 25 SO | 2.82 ERA | 3 W | 0 L | 0.1 fWAR | 0.0 bWAR

2023 Analysis

On June 30th, 2023, the Nationals brought left-handed bullpen pitcher Jose A. Ferrer up to join the team in Philadelphia but he would not pitch until July 1st against the Philadelphia Phillies. By the end of July, Ferrer had an ERA of 5.56 and a WHIP sitting at 1.76. By the end of the season, Ferrer’s WHIP dropped down to 1.47.

Ferrer throws three pitches, a four-seam fastball (thrown 71.9% of the time), a changeup (26.3%), and a slider (1.8%) that was exclusively against left-handed hitters. For Ferrer to improve, he has to get a better feel for his slider, as he struggled to locate the pitch, essentially making him a two pitch pitcher. From a stuff standpoint, Ferrer’s pitches are above average, he just needs to improve his location and usage all around.

The reason I gave him a B+ was because of how quickly he reached the majors. In 2022, Ferrer had three games in Single-A Fredericksburg, 28 in Wilmington, and finished his season with seven games in Harrisburg. Last year he pitched in 34 games in Triple-A Rochester before the Nationals eventually called him up. The last thing that secures that B+ for 2023 is Ferrer barely gives up any home runs. He only gave up 4 home runs last season, but that was during three separate months.

2024 outlook

Jose A. Ferrer will continue to grow this season. With a full season under his belt, Ferrer has an opportunity to build upon his confidence and become a reliable bullpen option for years to come.  Already excellent at limiting damage, if Ferrer can rack up more strikeouts, the Nationals have a reliable arm that they can pair with Harvey and Finnegan in the backend of the bullpen. Look for Ferrer to earn his first career save and to have an ERA that begins with a three in 2024.