Weems trying to prove worth in Nats bullpen

ATLANTA – Part of the rebuilding process, especially if you want to make it a quick turnaround back to contention, is finding diamonds in the rough. Whether that’s in the draft, international market or free agency, adding productive pieces that may have been overlooked by other teams is a good way to put together a contender.

It’s still early with a small sample size, but Jordan Weems is hoping to be one of those diamonds in the rough for the Nationals.

You may look at his overall numbers and think there’s no way. A 29-year-old right-handed reliever who has been cast off by three other teams? Who was drafted in 2011 but didn’t make his major league debut until 2020 as a 27-year-old? Who has a 6.53 ERA in only 25 big league outings? Who had a 7.27 ERA and 1.731 WHIP in just 8 ⅔ innings over eight appearances coming into Friday’s series opener in Atlanta?

How is that a diamond in the rough?

Well, if you take a look at Weems’ more recent numbers, you'll find there are some positive developments that suggest he’s perhaps turning a corner. At the very least, he’s turning himself into a reliable arm out of Davey Martinez’s bullpen.

“He was really good again,” Martinez said of Weems after last night’s blowout loss to the Braves. “I mean, he's been like that his last three outings. He's been really, really good.”

When Weems was optioned to Triple-A Rochester on June 14, he had a 9.95 ERA and ​​2.2105 WHIP over his first six appearances with the Nats. He had six walks to six strikeouts, and opponents were hitting .308 with a 1.014 OPS against him.

“I think earlier when I came in, I was trying to do too much,” Weems said. “Kind of letting my nerves get to me and trying to throw 100 (mph) when I only have to throw 95. And just kind of settling in and trusting my stuff and going right after guys and knowing that my stuff's good enough to get these guys out. I think just continuing to work and trusting your stuff and just continue to do that every single time you go out there.”

Then Jackson Tetreault’s injury forced a roster move on July 4 and Weems found himself back in Washington. He’s been lights out all week.

Since returning, Weems has pitched three straight scoreless outings covering 4 ⅓ innings, including two scoreless innings in relief of Erick Fedde in last night’s game. He has not allowed a hit and only walked one while striking out seven.

“I think the past couple of outings it's just been getting ahead and going right after guys and trusting my stuff,” Weems said. “I'm just trying to get comfortable and settled down out there on the mound. And yeah, I just feel like going right after guys is really, really benefiting me right now.”

He’s also benefiting from the work he got done during his time at Rochester.

“He went down to Triple-A there for a while. We gave him a game plan and what we wanted him to do,” Martinez said. “A lot of it was attacking the strike zone. He's got good stuff. His breaking ball came back a lot better, sharper, throwing it a lot harder, which we want him to do. And he's done really well. So that's awesome.

“It's good to see that he went down there and, like I said, he worked really hard to attack the strike zone. And I told him, I said, 'Your stuff is good enough to pitch here, it really is. And you don't need to throw four pitches. You can get away with two pitches, maybe three.' He hasn't even thrown his splitter yet, which is really, really effective. I think he threw it once or twice in Philly, but he hasn't really used it as much. But he's been attacking the strike zone with his fastball really well.”

Weems is just glad to see the results at the major league level.

“Well, everything was working in Triple-A,” Weems said with a laugh. “So I feel like it was just a nerve thing and just kind of settling down and trusting my stuff and not overthinking it. Knowing that, again, my stuff is good enough to get these guys out and I don't have to be perfect. Out there the first time, I felt like I had to make a perfect pitch every single pitch, and that's not the case. Go right after these guys, get ahead of them. And they're gonna hit, they're big league hitters. But at the same time, I'm a big league pitcher. So trust my stuff, go right after him and put them away with my stuff.”

Weems signed a minor league contract with the Nationals after he was released by the Red Sox in 2019, selected off waivers by the Diamondbacks from the Athletics last summer and became a free agent over the offseason. So he is not taking this opportunity for granted.

“Yeah, I mean, it's just rewarding,” he said. “That you put in all this time and effort and you sacrifice so much family time, and I'm not a young buck anymore, it's just rewarding. That you put in all that time. And to see your loved ones and your family members and your friends get to enjoy that with you, without getting too emotional, it's pretty awesome.”

And oh boy, did he get to see his loved ones enjoy it with him. Waiting outside the visitor’s clubhouse after last night’s game was a large group of Weems family members. The Columbus, Ga., native had a lot of family make the two-hour trip to Atlanta to watch him this weekend, some very special ones for the first time.

“​​My grandmother was the No. 1,” Weems said as he started to get more emotional. “She hasn't gotten to see me pitch. She's not in the greatest health and she made the trip, and that was awesome to see her after the game. And my brother and my mom, my dad, my girlfriend, my sister, my nieces, brother-in-law, my aunts and uncles, cousins. The list goes on, and not to mention just a lot of friends who will be here throughout this weekend series. So it's good.”

That’s what it’s all about. If Weems sticks with the Nats for the long run or if never pitches for them again, he’ll always have that moment with his grandmother and the rest of his family.

As for the baseball side of it, he still has a long way to go to prove his worth to the Nationals. But if Weems has turned a corner, his loved ones could be watching him pitch in the majors a while longer.