Hard-throwing Thompson must locate to make it with Nats

PLAYER REVIEW: MASON THOMPSON

Age on opening day 2022: 24

How acquired: Traded from Padres with Jordy Barley for Daniel Hudson, July 2021

MLB service time: 80 days

2021 salary: $570,500

Contract status: Under team control, arbitration-eligible in 2025, free agent in 2028

2021 stats (SD/WSH): 1-3, 4.01 ERA, 31 G, 24 2/3 IP, 32 H, 15 R, 11 ER, 4 HR, 15 BB, 23 SO, 1 HBP, 1.905 WHIP, 103 ERA+, 5.36 FIP, minus-0.2 fWAR, minus-0.1 bWAR

Quotable: "There's definitely nerves coming over to a new organization, and a lot of high expectations and everything. But at the same time, making my debut earlier this year was definitely helpful. It's helped ease the nerves a lot and kind of ease me into the transition." - Mason Thompson

2021 analysis: The first of the 12 prospects the Nationals acquired at the trade deadline to debut for the team wasn't Keibert Ruiz or Josiah Gray. It was Mason Thompson, who one month earlier had made four relief appearances for the Padres and appeared to be the most big-league-ready of the bunch. The right-hander joined the bullpen July 31, debuted two nights later and wound up pitching in quite a few situations of consequence over the season's final two months.

Though he at times was effective, notching seven holds in his 31 appearances, Thompson rarely cruised. He enjoyed only two clean, 1-2-3 innings while with the Nats. Much of his struggles came from a lack of command; he walked a staggering 5.8 batters per nine innings.

In spite of all that, Thompson actually entered the season's final week with a 2.92 ERA. His last two outings, though, spoiled his year from a statistical standpoint. Unable to retire any of the six total batters he faced from the Rockies and Red Sox while throwing only nine of 21 pitches for strikes, he saw his ERA skyrocket to 4.01 in the blink of an eye, making his rookie season appear far less impressive at first glance than it might have.

2022 outlook: Very little in the Nationals bullpen is set in stone at the moment, and Thompson certainly isn't assured of a big league job (let alone a specific role) yet. But he'll head into spring training competing for a roster spot and probably will hold a leg up on some other candidates who didn't get as much time in D.C. as he did down the stretch.

For Thompson to be successful on a consistent basis, he needs to command his sinker. That's not only his best pitch, it's practically the only pitch he throws (81.1 percent of the time this season). When he couldn't throw in the zone, he issued walks. When he could keep it over the plate but couldn't keep it down, he served up home runs.

Long-term, though, Thompson is going to have to develop enough trust in his slider and changeup to throw them with a bit more regularity. Or at least use them in some big spots from time to time to keep hitters off-balance and not let them sit on the sinker.

There's a lot to like about a 6-foot-7 reliever with a 97 mph sinker. It's up to Thompson to prove to the Nationals he merits a prominent spot in the bullpen.