Why You Should Continue To Be Patient With Washington Nationals Jose A. Ferrer

Despite rocky results so far in 2025 for the young Nats lefty, underlying metrics suggest a turnaround can happen

It was the usual story for Jose A. Ferrer in his relief appearance against the Detroit Tigers last night. Entering with 2 runners on in the 7th, he struck out 2 batters including all-star Riley Greene, but also surrendered a single to Gleyber Torres and then a 2-run double to Jahmai Jones which gave the Tigers a 4-3 lead. His stuff seemed impressive, but ultimately he didn’t do his job, which in that moment was hold the 1-run lead for the Nats. The first 3 months of the year have been up-and-down for him, and a far cry from his solid 2024 campaign.

Entering 2025, Ferrer seemed to be one of the more reliable arms in the Nats pen, posting a 3.38 ERA over 32 innings in 2024, with solid peripherals such as a 2.76 FIP to back it up. The results, however, have been nowhere near the same in 2025, as he has a 5.40 ERA over 45 innings and has been a source of tension and anxiety out of the bullpen for Nats fans rather than comfort and confidence.

While the results have yet to go his way this year, a look under the hood at his underlying numbers suggest that it isn’t time for Nats fans to throw in the towel on him. For starters, his 3.27 FIP, while a regression from 2024, still suggests some bad luck so far for him. This could be due to a few factors, such as too much hard contact, but also bad performance by the fielders behind him, a common theme for the Nats defense in 2025.

Ferrer is also elite at a few key things for relievers which makes me believe his fortunes could turn soon. For starters, he throws very hard, averaging 97 on his sinker, one of the hardest non-fastball pitches in baseball. When it’s on, it makes for a very uncomfortable at bat for hitters. He also excels at limiting walks, with his 5.3 BB% ranking in the 88th percentile. Finally, he keeps the ball on the ground at an elite rate, with a 62 GB% that ranks 98th percentile in baseball.

The biggest issue for Ferrer in 2025 has been a lack of swing-and-miss, allowing hitters to stay in at bats and wait for a mistake pitch from Ferrer. I think he could seem some more success if he were to throw less strikes than he does now, sacrificing some of his BB% and turning it into more chases out of the zone, increasing his K% as a result.

There is work to be done for Ferrer to turn around his 2025 campaign, but I believe due to the solid underlying numbers and his rare natural abilities that it is not time to worry about him yet. With so few arms in the Nationals bullpen with potential to play a big role in a future competitive Nats club, why not let the one with the potential to have his opportunities now.