DJ Herz

Herz burst onto the scene for the Nationals in his third career start in June when he fanned 13 batters while yielding just one hit over six shutout innings against the Marlins. The left-hander added another double-digit strikeout game in July and finished his rookie season with an impressive 27.8 percent strikeout rate. The biggest knock on Herz as a prospect was his lack of control, as he's handed out free passes at an ugly 15.4 percent clip in the minors. He got that rate down to 9.4 percent in 19 starts with the Nats, which is still high but acceptable when paired with the swing-and-miss. Herz's four-seamer, changeup and slider made up 97 percent of his pitches in 2024 and all three offerings produced the exact same .283 xwOBA, which is excellent. There's blowup risk with the 24-year-old, but he has real upside if he can keep the walks to a dull roar. Read Past Outlooks