The Washington Nationals have named starting pitcher Josiah Gray as their Opening Day starter this season. This puts him in an elite class in team history, as he will do something not done in a decade.
Per Sarah Langs of MLB.com:
Josiah Gray will be the Nationals’ youngest Opening Day starting pitcher since a 25-year-old Stephen Strasburg in 2014
The 26-year-old Gray is set to enter his fourth year in the big leagues with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Nationals. He is coming off a season in which he finished 8-13 for Washington with a 3.91 ERA. Gray represented the Nationals at the All-Star Game last summer in Seattle as well. He ended the year by striking out 143 batters in 159.0 innings.
The Nationals finished last in the National League East last season and are likely to finish there again this year, but they do have a number of young and exciting players to watch develop in 2024. Gray should continue to take another step forward while CJ Abrams and Keibert Ruiz should do the same. Furthermore, last year's No. 2 pick in the draft, Dylan Crews, could also make his major league debut this summer.
The Nationals will open up their season on March 28 against the Cincinnati Reds. Gray will be tasked with navigating one of the best young lineups in the sport, featuring Elly De La Cruz, Jeimer Candelario, Christan Encarnacion-Strand, Spencer Steer, Jonathan India and Matt McLain.
The Reds finished third in the National League Central in the 2023 season.
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