Nationals’ DJ Herz Trades Some Deception For Better Control
On lefthander DJ Herz’s drive from Arizona to North Carolina after an 11-month pitching journey, he received a call from Eddie Longosz, the Nationals’ new vice president of player development.
For Longosz, who has been with the organization since 2010, it was the first time he spoke with Herz in his new role. He called to inform Herz that the Nationals were adding him to the 40-man roster.
The 6-foot-2 Herz was part of the July 31 trade that sent third baseman Jeimer Candelario to the Cubs. Herz reported to Double-A Harrisburg and recorded a 2.55 ERA with 53 strikeouts, 20 walks and only one home run allowed in 35.1.
Herz’s WHIP dropped from 1.42 with Double-A Tennessee to 1.13 with the Senators, but he said he started to see progress about two weeks before being traded. Then-Cubs director of pitching Craig Breslow and other coaches helped Herz slightly change his direction without giving up too much of his crossfire action.
“(Breslow) said I was probably about a 9 on deception before any changes,” Herz said. “Then let’s move you back to a 7.5 or an 8. That helped me a lot. I walked less guys and was able to adjust quicker.”
Herz’s best offspeed pitch is his 80-83 mph changeup. He relied heavily on a curveball at Sanford High in Fayetteville, N.C., before the Cubs drafted him in the eighth round in 2019 and signed him for $500,000.
“Everything changed once the Cubs put a Vulcan changeup grip in my hands,” Herz said. “Then this past year I learned a slider, which has been an awesome pitch for me to add to my arsenal.”
Herz throws his slider at 85-87 mph and has a 92-94 mph fastball.
“We were very excited when we added him to the organization midseason,” Longosz said. “He has been a great teammate with high character on and off the field. He is very athletic on the mound, and he has really good swing-and-miss stuff as well as a great ability to minimize damage.”
CAPITAL GAINS
— The Nationals selected 23-year-old Marlins shortstop Nasim Nunez in the Rule 5 draft. Nunez was MVP of the 2023 Futures Game and was also an all-star in the Arizona Fall League. He hit .224/.341/.286 in 490 at-bats at Double-A Pensacola with 52 stolen bases in 59 attempts. His speed stands out, as does his glove and arm at shortstop.
— The organization will hold its first Nationals Futures Game on March 26 at Nationals Park, with top prospects and current major leaguers taking part. “I know that once our fans have the chance to see a full lineup of the young guys in our system, there will be even more of reason to be optimistic about where we’re headed,” Nationals GM Mike Rizzo said.
