The Washington Nationals pitchers and catchers will begin reporting to West Palm Beach in the next couple of weeks. Current ace Mackenzie Gore will be working to solidify his role at the top of a rotation that was very solid at times in 2024. It will be interesting to see if the Nationals continue building the offensive core with the number one pick this coming June. Will they select Ethan Holliday to create a power surge in the middle of the lineup with Dylan Crews and James Wood? Or will they choose a highly touted pitcher such as UC Santa Barbara pitcher Tyler Bremner? There is excitement in the air when discussing the future of this team.

Promising Young Staff

Gore will look to lead a healthy rotation that proved very effective. With youth on their side, the Nationals could grow to become one of the best rotations in MLB. This presents whether we could build an all-time great starting rotation of this club, going all the way to Jerry Park in Montreal. Who would those pitchers be? 3 years from now, I would see Gore at number 1 on that list. For now, he’ll receive an honorable mention. Here is the most outstanding rotation in the storied history of this club and its two cities.

5) Dennis Martinez

“El Presidente” won precisely 100 games through 8 seasons as a starting pitcher for the Expos. He moved on from Montreal in 1998, completing 41 games with the club. This includes his perfect game at Dodgers Stadium in 1991. Widely recognized by opposing hitters as “the pitcher they would least like to face,” Dennis Martinez was a 3-time All-Star during his time as Montreal’s #1.

4) Steve Rogers

Having spent 13 years with the club, Steve Rogers was unquestionably the ace of the Expos staff for most, if not all, of his tenure. The 4-time All-Star received high praise from his peers by being selected as the starting pitcher of the 1982 game at Old Comiskey Park. Rogers earned the ERA title in 1982 and threw over 250 innings in a season six times. Steve Rogers, the workhorse of his time, showed up and won 3 of the 4 games he started in the 1981 postseason. That would be the only playoff series ever played by the Expos. 

3) Pedro Martinez

Pedro Martinez came to Montreal from Los Angeles as a lanky, 160-pound middle reliever with a live but wild arm. Pitching coach Gil Paterson was able to harness this raw talent and help turn Pedro into one of the very best pitchers of his generation. Martinez rose to become the ace of a surging 1994 Expos squad that might have knocked on the door of their first World Series had work stoppage not occurred. Pedro was a unanimous Cy Young award winner with the Expos in 1997, his fourth and final season with the team.

2) Stephen Strasburg

In Strasburg, Nationals fans got to watch and ride the construction of a winner. From the moment Strasburg was selected out of San Diego State as the number 1 pick in the 2009 draft, the Nationals moved on an upward trajectory that culminated with Strasburg being named The Willie Mays World Series MVP. In the seasons leading up to his performance in the 2019 World Series, Strasburg was nothing short of brilliant. Holding batters to around a .200 batting average and racking up strikeouts that exceed 250 for the season in 2019. With 113 wins, Strasburg is the Washington Nationals all-time leader. He was on a Hall of Fame pace until serious injuries took their toll.

1) Max Scherzer

Max Scherzer came with ultra-high expectations and hopes after leaving the upstart Detroit Tigers and signing with the Nationals for a massive seven-year deal. Scherzer did not disappoint, putting in some statistical behemoth seasons that will largely contribute to his almost certain 1st ballot for Hall of Fame induction. The flame-throwing righthander out of Mizzou was named the National League Cy Young winner in back-to-back seasons (2016/17).

He finished in the top three for the following season and the one after that. His 3-0 record in the 2019 postseason helped propel The Washington Nationals to win the World Series Championship. His display of absolute dominance through the duration of his tenure in DC makes him the organization’s best pitcher and the ultimate choice for number one on this list

End Of Rant

It was challenging to factor in almost 60 years of proud history from this club and its two cities of origin. Honorable mentions and those who absolutely were considered for this list are Charlie Lea, Bill Gullickson, Ken Hill, Jordan Zimmermann, Anibal Sanchez, Patrick Corbin, and MacKenzie Gore. This is a fine list, indeed. Any Manager would feel more secure fielding a team behind one of these starting pitchers.