Once healthy, lefty Ferrer showed off power arm in bullpen

PLAYER REVIEW: JOSE A. FERRER

Age on Opening Day 2025: 25

How acquired: Signed as international free agent, July 2017

MLB service time: 1 year, 94 days

2024 salary: $743,000

Contract status: Under club control, arbitration-eligible in 2027, free agent in 2030

2024 stats: 1-0, 3.38 ERA, 31 G, 1 SV, 32 IP, 27 H, 12 R, 12 ER, 1 HR, 6 BB, 25 SO, 2 HBP, 1.031 WHIP, 120 ERA+, 2.76 FIP, 0.5 bWAR, 0.6 fWAR

Quotable: “I thought when he first got hurt, and they told me what it was, he was going to miss a very long time. But he’s a strong kid. He worked really hard to come back. And the best thing is, he didn’t lose any of his velo. Everything’s intact. He’s understanding he has to maintain his strength throughout the season. He does all his work in the training room, and his legs are strong. I’m really happy that he bounced back the way he did.” – Davey Martinez

2024 analysis: The Nationals were excited to see what Jose A. Ferrer could do with a full season in the majors after getting a look at him late in 2023, but the left-hander got hurt in spring training, straining the teres major muscle in the back of his shoulder. He opened the year on the 60-day injured list, underscoring the severity of the strain and guaranteeing he would be out until at least June.

Turns out Ferrer was out until the All-Star break. The Nats activated him as they opened the second half, then had to withstand a few growing pains as he got reacclimated to life in a big league bullpen. Ferrer gave up three runs in his first appearance and was scored upon in four of his first eight outings, leading to an inflated 10.80 ERA.

But with time, the young lefty figured things out. As his fastball velocity ticked up to 98-100 mph, he became more confident. And as he began to have success, he began to get opportunities to pitch in more meaningful situations. By season’s end, Davey Martinez often used Ferrer as his top left-hander late in games. And over his final 23 appearances, he posted a sparkling 1.42 ERA with 19 strikeouts and only two walks.

2025 outlook: The Nationals needed Ferrer to get healthy before they could do anything else with him this year. Once he got over that significant hurdle, they were finally able to get him valuable experience pitching late in major league games. And given the way he responded, it’s fair to believe he could be considered a key part of the 2025 bullpen right from the outset.

Ferrer throws as hard as just about any lefty in the sport, and the addition of a 98 mph sinker this season helped him induce a lot of weak contact (his 57 percent ground ball rate is 13 points higher than the league average). He didn’t give up any hits off his slider (which he mostly throws to left-handed batters) and he also had success with his changeup (which he mostly throws to right-handed batters). That repertoire makes him effective against hitters from both sides of the plate.

The dream scenario would see Ferrer continue to perfect his craft and gain more confidence with more experience, ultimately establishing himself as the Nationals’ top left-handed option late in games. He could even develop into a backup closer if Kyle Finnegan is unavailable or the opponents’ lineup in the ninth is heavy on left-handed hitters. But even if he doesn’t quite reach that level of performance, his stuff from the left side should be good enough to let him stick as a solid matchup option in the sixth or seventh inning, a valuable arm in any bullpen.