The Nationals have been fortunate when it comes to pitching injuries the last two seasons. No, they haven’t escaped them altogether. But they’ve managed to suffer fewer significant losses than any other team.

It’s true: Over the last two years, the Nats have used only 10 starting pitchers, fewest in the majors. The Blue Jays are next on the list with 12, followed by the Mariners with 14. Everyone else has used at least 15 starters, with the league median number a whopping 22.

Again, the Nationals have dealt with a few significant injuries. Cade Cavalli was ticketed for the Opening Day 2023 rotation but tore his elbow ligament in spring training and has yet to return. Josiah Gray started Opening Day 2024 but was sidelined after only two outings and ultimately needed Tommy John surgery himself. And Trevor Williams, after an outstanding April and May, wound up missing 3 1/2 months with a flexor strain in his right arm.

But the Nats managed to fill those gaps with productive, in-house alternatives. In 2023, it was Jake Irvin stepping up to make his major league debut in early May and then sticking in the rotation all the way through September. In 2024, it was Mitchell Parker and then DJ Herz emerging from Triple-A to replace Gray and Williams, Parker making 29 starts while Herz took the mound 19 times.

It was an impressive example of organizational depth, the kind of pitching depth this organization hadn’t really possessed in a while. And as the countdown to spring training commences, there’s reason to believe the Nationals are well-positioned again with starting pitchers who could step forward if the need arises.

As the final week of the major league season gets underway, the Nationals took some time this afternoon to honor some of their top minor league players at the conclusion of the season on the farm.

The Nationals today announced the winners of their 2024 minor league awards, with those not already on the major league roster joining the team in D.C. for a pregame ceremony before the series opener against the Royals:

* Hitter of the Year – Dylan Crews
* Pitcher of the Year – Travis Sykora
* Defensive Player of the Year – Elijah Green
* Baserunner of the Year – Darren Baker
* Nationals Way Award – Daylen Lile and Brad Lord

Although Crews, 22, is currently playing every day with the Nationals, the top prospect in the sport, per MLB Pipeline, had a strong season in the minors leading up to his major league promotion.

He finished his 2024 minor league campaign hitting .270 with 21 doubles, six triples, 13 home runs, 68 RBIs, 36 walks, 25 stolen bases and 60 runs scored in 100 games between Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Rochester. He ranked in the top four in Washington’s system in extra-base hits (second, 40), triples (second), slugging percentage (third, .451), OPS (third, .793), RBIs (third), doubles (tied for third), home runs (fourth), average (fourth) and stolen bases (tied for fourth) prior to his big league call-up on Aug. 26.

The Nationals, of course, have some of the top position player prospects in baseball. But there are some arms that are impressing on the mound as well.

One of the best stories on the Nats farm this season is Brad Lord, a 2022 18th-round pick out of the University of South Florida.

After posting a 4.04 ERA and 1.328 WHIP in 27 games (17 starts) between Single-A Fredericksburg and High-A Wilmington last year, the right-hander has been one of the best starters in all of Minor League Baseball this season.

Lord earned his first promotion to Double-A Harrisburg after one scoreless start with Wilmington. In 12 starts with the Senators, he is 7-1 with a 1.55 ERA, 1.052 WHIP, 9.6 strikeouts-per-nine-innings rate and 3.40 strikeout-to-walk rate.

Last week, he produced his second-career double-digit strikeout performance with seven scoreless innings of two-hit ball and 10 strikeouts for his seventh win of the season.