The Most Underrated Pitcher In Baseball Is Only Getting Better
Jake Irvin is enjoying his second season in the Major Leagues for the Nationals with an ERA of 2.80, ranking 9th in all of the MLB. Irvin doesn't get much praise due to the Nationals not being good, but he's quickly become one of the league's most underrated pitchers. This is how Jake Irvin got here.
2018-2023
Jake Irvin's college career was quite normal for most pitchers. He held an ERA of 3.72 and struck out 241 batters in 3 years with Oklahoma. In 2018 he helped lead his team to the regional final in the College World Series, but fell to Mississippi State. He improved a lot every year at Oklahoma and entered the 2018 MLB draft.
Irvin was drafted by the Washington Nationals in the 4th round at pick 131. In his first season with the Gulf Coast Nationals and the Auburn Doubledays, Irvin recorded a 1.74 ERA and struck out 15 batters in 20.2 innings pitched. This would lead to him starting the next season with the Single-A Hagerstown Suns, where he would have another solid season with an ERA of 3.79 and 113 strikeouts.
2020 and 2021 would be nightmare years for Irvin, as MLB canceled the minor leagues in 2020 causing him to lose crucial development time. In 2021, Irvin would undergo Tommy John surgery which caused him to miss the entire season. He would return in 2022 to mixed results. His numbers in High A were great but once he got to AA he significantly declined.
The Nationals would make the bold decision to have Irvin start 2023 at Triple-A despite his struggles in Double-A. Irvin wouldn't spend all season there though, being called up to the MLB multiple times during the season. His numbers were unimpressive but his arm extension was among the best in the league.
2024
Jake Irvin has destroyed every expectation set for him this season. He lowered his 4.61 ERA to 2.80 and raised his K% from 18.7 to 22.7. Usually, when a player breaks out like this the media will talk highly of them, but Irvin hasn't been getting any love. He's only improved as the year has progressed and will continue to be the most underrated pitcher in baseball.
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