The Comeback of Josiah Gray (2026)

[JCA-CrystalCity]

https://www.federalbaseball.com/washington-nationals-analysis/89207/what-washington-nationals-fans-learned-josiah-grays-return-action

Sam Sallick's observations:

Josiah Gray made his long awaited return to action after missing most of the last two seasons due to Tommy John Surgery. He was solid, but not spectacular in his return. Gray went 1.2 innings, but he would have completed two if not for a dropped third strike. His stuff was crisp, especially in the first inning.

Like a lot of Nationals pitchers, Gray is really backing off his fastball usage. This is not very surprising for him because we saw him moving away from his heater back in 2023 when we saw him last. Gray’s fastball has always been his achilles heel, as it has gotten crushed when hitters make contact. He only threw 9 fastballs in 38 pitches yesterday.

Fastball dropped from 94 to 91-92 after the 1st.

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[Slateman]

First start of the season, Id expect the fastball velo to drop off after the first inning.

Debuted a sweeper. Seems to be the pitch de jour for the Nats this spring. Lot of sliders and curves. Didn't throw a sinker once.

Most importantly, he didnt walk anyone.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

First start of the season, Id expect the fastball velo to drop off after the first inning.

Debuted a sweeper. Seems to be the pitch de jour for the Nats this spring. Lot of sliders and curves. Didn't throw a sinker once.

Most importantly, he didnt walk anyone.

spinny stuff. Nothing straight. Red Sox really discourage the fastball under Bailey now, so maybe that's become part  of the Nats thinking.

IIRC, Gray was up to 6 pitches before he hurt his arm. I forget if the sweeper is a 7th or one he had already added but now is featuring. Cutter was 2023, I think.

Cutter, curve, slider, sweeper, 4 seam, sinker, change.

He may be fun to watch if you like crafty guys, but they  all need to be middling or better with command for this to work. OTOH, if the mix is too broad or he lacks command, he may need to be more narrow and just focus on his best. Certainly the lack of control hurt in the past because it  forced him to revert to his lousy fastball.