Nearly 10 days ago the Washington Nationals somewhat surprisingly promoted RHP Joe Ross to fill a vacancy left in the starting rotation by injuries to Doug Fister and Stephen Strasburg. In his first outing against the Chicago Cubs, Ross allowed 3 runs on 6 hits and no walks against 4 strikeouts in 5 innings pitched. This solid outing, along with the slow progress from injury by the Nationals’ veteran pitchers, provided Ross the opportunity to make another start, this time against the Milwaukee Brewers.
San Diego’s 1st round pick, 25th overall, in the 2011 MLB Draft and younger brother of All-Star Tyson Ross, Joe Ross had a rapid ascent through the Padres’ minor league system before being a part of a 3-team trade this winter that landed him in Washington. Due to his aggressive promotion from Double-A and his potential future value to the organization, I decided to dust off an old feature and write an Armchair Evaluation of Joe Ross’s second career major league start, a game the Nationals won 7-2.
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From a scouting perspective, Ross’s delivery features more movement than is ideal, but his natural athleticism allows him to have a rhythmic tempo and repeat his delivery fairly well. He has a bit of an arm stab and a natural crossfire but these flaws do not seem to impact his command of the strike zone. Ross’s fastball rates as above-average to plus due to the velocity, command, hard sinking action and the impressive arm-side movement. His slider is also an above-average offering with short, quick biting action that he can locate for strikes or bury in the dirt.
The changeup needs work from this viewing, as it did not move much and certainly did not fool the opposing hitters. Wisely, he scrapped the pitch midway through his outing, much to the benefit of his statistical line but also showing a savvy beyond his years. Finally, Ross pitches with a moxie and confidence not often seen from a 22-year-old in his first month in the major leagues.
Ross has been extremely impressive in his first two big league starts, outpitching his box score in his first outing and shutting down a powerful Milwaukee lineup in an important game for the slumping Nationals on Saturday. He has a terrific pitcher’s frame, a solid repertoire, a repeatable delivery and the wisdom of a pitcher several years his elder. Certainly he could use some additional minor league experience to improve his changeup and continue to refine the movement during his delivery, but Ross is nearly a finished product. He does not project as a top-of-the-rotation starter due to his lack of elite velocity or a massive secondary pitch, but Ross’s durable frame and command of his pitches allow him to profile as a strong #4 starter – and if he can improve his changeup and polish his delivery, Ross has a ceiling as an above-average #3 starting pitcher.