TORONTO -- Brad Lord arrived at Nationals Park last Wednesday with an important piece of information still looming. He had not yet been told where he would open the 2025 season, which began the following afternoon.
Lord, ranked as the Nationals¡¯ No. 22 prospect, had impressed in Spring Training as he transitioned from a starter to reliever role. But the final spots in the Nats¡¯ bullpen were still a big question mark when camp concluded.
Lord had been in the clubhouse for a few minutes when he was called into manager Dave Martinez¡¯s office. The 25-year-old right-hander was about to find out the anticipated decision.
¡°I saw the coaches were there,¡± Lord said. ¡°[Davey] was like, ¡®You've had a really great spring, but we need you to go down to [Triple-A] Rochester, build up and be a starter.¡¯ And so I was like, ¡®OK.¡¯¡±
Lord processed the news. Given that he began last season in High-A Wilmington and ascended to Triple-A by the end of the year, he felt all right about continuing his development on the Red Wings.
The conversation, though, wasn¡¯t over.
A few moments later ¨C which felt like ¡°forever¡± to Lord ¨C Martinez shared another update.
¡°He goes, ¡®I hope you know all that was bull crap,¡¯¡± Lord said. ¡°And I was just like, ¡®Oh.¡¯ [sighs] I could finally breathe again. Then he told me I was on the team.¡±
Gotcha.
¡°It¡¯s a running joke for all the young kids,¡± Martinez said. ¡°Once I told him I was kidding, his face lit up. It was kind of funny, actually. But he was really excited, and rightfully deserved.¡±
Selected out of South Florida in the 18th round of the 2022 Draft, Lord pitched with Single-A Fredericksburg and High-A Wilmington his first full season in the pros (¡®23).
The following year, he made one start at High-A, 12 starts at Double-A Harrisburg and his final 12 starts at Triple-A. Lord went 10-4, posted a 2.43 ERA across all three levels and earned the 2024 Nationals Way Minor League Award.
The Nationals were looking for multiple-innings relievers who could help keep the bullpen arms fresh. They were impressed by what they saw from Lord in nine relief appearances this spring. Lord and fellow righty Orlando Ribalta (No. 29 prospect) rounded out the Nats¡¯ Opening Day bullpen. Right-hander Jackson Rutledge, who also was in contention in a new relief role, was optioned to Triple-A.
¡°He's a kid that started for us,¡± Martinez said. ¡°In Spring Training, we felt like he was going to be a big piece, maybe out of our bullpen. He did it; he did it really well.¡±
Lord first called his wife, then his parents. His family, including his sister and sister-in-law, were able to book travel to get to Washington the next day. As for Lord¡¯s own arrangements ¡
¡°After the whole conversation, I asked him if he¡¯d found a place to live,¡± Martinez said. ¡°He said no, because I took too long to make up my mind. [Laughs] I said, ¡®OK, you got me.¡¯¡±
Five days later, Lord made his Major League debut in the series finale against the Phillies. He ran out to Chris Stapleton¡¯s ¡°White Horse,¡± his warmup music from Triple-A, to pitch in the ninth inning. Lord allowed a single and two walks that resulted in a run scored, and he exited with the bases loaded without recording an out.
Martinez wanted to get Lord back on the mound the next day in Toronto so the rookie could put the Sunday struggles out of his mind. In his first career road game, Lord delivered a scoreless frame with only one hit allowed. He walked off the mound inside Rogers Centre reinvigorated.
¡°Sunday, I didn¡¯t command the zone very well. I wasn¡¯t throwing strikes and I wasn¡¯t getting ahead. [Monday,] I was able to establish the first-pitch strike and get ahead,¡± Lord said on Tuesday, before the Nationals¡¯ 5-3 loss to the Blue Jays. ¡°I definitely handled the nerves a lot better. I was able to channel the adrenaline.¡±
Lord received a ball from his debut that he can display to commemorate his career milestone. The next day, he displayed the perseverance that earned him a spot on the Opening Day roster.
¡°He¡¯s going to be really good,¡± Martinez said on Tuesday. ¡°I was proud of him yesterday. He came back and threw the ball really well.¡±