Editors Note: This is the latest in our player profile in our 40-man breakdown series that we have started here at the Nats Report. Check our other player profiles.

Mitchell Parker

• Position: Left-Handed Starting Pitcher
• Current status: Yet to make MLB debut
• How acquired: Taken in the 5th round of the 2020 MLB Draft
• 2023 Grade: B
• 2024 Opening Day Projection: Triple-A Rochester
• 2023 stats (Triple-A and Double-A): 28 G | 26 GS | 4.72 ERA | 124 IP | 150 SO | 61 BB | 10 HR

2023 Analysis: Mitchell Parker continued to do more of the same which kept him on the radar as a bottom half of the top 30 prospect. His rising fastball, plus curveball, and average slider allow Parker to rack up strikeouts at a spectacular rate. Unfortunately, he lacks any sort of command and tends to walk more batters than you would like from a starter. The Nationals added Parker to the 40-man roster this winter to protect him from the Rule 5 draft, signaling some confidence in his future with the organization. He staved off the switch to the bullpen for now, but the 24-year-old has to leap over many talented arms to have a long-term role in the rotation.

2024 Outlook: While he has staved off the move to the bullpen for now, Parker’s runway is starting to run out. The fastball has played well despite topping out at 95 mph and often sitting in the lower 90s, thanks to the great carry he generates on the pitch. Part of the issue, at least according to his FanGraphs scouting report, is his unrepeatable delivery. It would be an easy way to improve command, but if it really does add a ton of deception, then it seems that Parker couldn’t work out as a starter in the majors. Getting a look at him as a reliever (where he hopefully throws a tad harder) could lead to him having a decent career as a reliever.

But the Nationals historically wait until the last moment to try a player as a reliever. Expect Parker to serve as the seventh or eighth starter in the rotation for the Nationals this season, behind Jackson Rutledge and Zach Davies. If he makes his major league debut, he either dominated in Triple-A or something went very wrong at the major league level.

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