New mantra for Nats pitchers: 'I don't care how fast you throw ball four'

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The Nationals wanted to relay a mantra to their pitching staff, so they wrote it down, printed it up and placed it in the bullpen.

Signs reading “I don’t care how fast you throw ball four” were posted for the first pitchers and catchers workout at the CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches on Wednesday.

“In this league, you have to throw strikes,” general manager Mike Rizzo said. “I didn’t want to be a smart ass and put that up, but I think with one of the youngest teams in the league like we have and a young pitching staff, I wanted them to know that is important to the guy making the decisions on who’s making the team. Throw the ball over the plate. You have to get guys out.”

Last season, the Nationals pitching staff ranked 28th overall in total strikeouts (1,225), 27th in first-strike percentage (60%) and 28th in K-BB rate (10.1%), the difference between strikeout and walk percentages. Their barrel rate on fastballs (10.5%) tied the Astros for highest in MLB, and they had the second-highest xwOBA on fastballs (.378) among all teams. Opposing hitters slashed .295/.374/.498 against Washington’s fastballs.

“We want to focus on these guys throwing strike one,” manager Dave Martinez said. “I always say, ‘Go 1-0 today.’ We sat there, and [pitching strategist Sean] Doolittle says, ‘Hey, what about pitchers going 0-1 today?’ I said, ‘You know what, that ain’t a bad idea. Make sure you relay that message to pitchers.’ … It’s all about throwing strikes. We want these guys to pound the strike zone and get outs early. We talk about it all the time. We’ll see. We’ve already been preaching it to the younger guys, and [pitching coach Jim] Hickey’s been all over it. We want these guys to throw strikes.”

Beyond a young starting rotation that includes Josiah Gray, MacKenzie Gore and Jake Irvin, emphasizing this mindset is particularly important this Spring Training as the Nationals have invited many of their top prospects to Major League camp. Left-hander DJ Herz (No. 16), right-hander Cole Henry (No. 18) and southpaw Mitchell Parker (No. 26) will be taking the mound in games, and righties Cade Cavalli (No. 4) and Zach Brzykcy (No. 29) also are throwing bullpens in their recovery from Tommy John surgery.

“The difference, in my opinion, between the Minor Leagues and the big leagues is, big leaguers don’t chase,” Rizzo said. “You have to have good enough stuff, you have to have enough confidence to get guys out at the big league level on the plate. Going 2-0, 3-1 is a recipe for disaster. Walks turn into doubles now very easily, and we just can’t have it. To be a successful pitcher, you have to pound the strike zone, be aggressive, change speeds and not be afraid to get guys out over the plate.”

Rizzo doesn’t have any other signs planned for camp. But if this message can translate to the mound, one could be more than enough.

“We’ve got to set the tone,” said Martinez. “It’s almost like setting the Nationals ways.”