Mark Who?

No not Mark Timmons, nor Mark Prior, nor Mark Fidrych, or Mark McGwire

The Mark to whom I refer is right-hander Mark Washington of the Tulsa Drillers, perhaps soon to be of the OKC Dodgers. He was born in Glen Mills, attended high school at Episcopal Academy in Merion, and attended university at Lehigh University. All three locations are in his home state of Pennsylvania.

He was selected by the Dodgers in the 25th round of the 2017 First-Year Player Draft following his junior year at Lehigh. His selection was the 760th in that draft.

Like many young aspiring ball players, Mark Washington has had his challenges along the way starting in high school.

“My journey has been rocky starting in high school  with my mother passing away in 2013 during my junior year,” shared Washington. “Ever since that day, I have developed a greater appreciation for life and for baseball. I have been motivated to live life to the fullest, be happy and work hard, while baseball has given me an outlet to do something I love doing.”

His junior year at Lehigh in 2017 was limited to 16 innings and was cut short by shoulder surgery. However, in his sophomore year in 2016, he had carved out a season that resonated, at least with the Dodgers, in the 2017 draft.

During the 2016 season, he made 13 appearances, including six starts, leading the Mountain Hawks with a 1.80 ERA and tied for the team lead with six victories. He allowed just 35 hits and nine earned runs over 45 innings pitched while holding opposing hitters to a .220 batting average. His 1.80 ERA is ranked fourth all-time on the program’s single-season ERA leader’s list. His walk total of 27 that season did top his strikeout total of 24.

Washington did not hesitate to sign with the Dodgers following the draft willing to forgo his senior year at Lehigh. As much as he treasured his time with the Mountain Hawks, the call of Dodger Blue was too strong for Lehigh Brown. The first thing former Lehigh baseball player Mark Washington did when he was drafted was to go to the shopping mall. He and his dad needed to pick up some important items to start his professional career. That is some LA Dodgers gear.

“It’s a dream-come-true type of situation,” Washington said. “I’ve always wanted to do this, I’ve always wanted to play professional baseball and it’s a once-in-a-lifetime type of thing that I couldn’t pass up.”

This from his college coach.

“What’s unique about Mark (Washington) is that his best days are still ahead of him,” Lehigh coach Sean Leary said. “When I talked with scouts, they would talk to me not about drafting him to fill an organizational need, but when they talked about Mark (Washington), it was more, ‘I’m really excited to see where he’s going to be when he’s 24.”

He turned 25 in March and we can only guess what the non-season in 2020 had on Washington and his age 24 year. However, he has been consistent in his climb up the ladder towards MLB.

The 6/7”/205 lb. Washington debuted with the Arizona League Dodgers on July 24, 2017 against the AZL Padres  pitching two scoreless innings. In eight games with the AZL Dodgers – three starts – he posted a 1.96 ERA over 23 innings with 25 strikeouts and three walks.

During the 2018 season, he made two pit stops, one in Ogden and one in Midland. With the Raptors in the Pioneer Rookie League, he pitched 21.2 innings with a 3.32 ERA along with 19 strikeouts and nine walks. In his stint with the Great Lakes Loons in the Midwest League, he pitched another 18.1 innings with a 2.95 ERA  while striking out 13 and walking nine.

Washington returned to Great Lakes in 2019 and spent the entire season with the Loons. His ERA of 2.97 over 39.1 innings pitched demonstrated his consistency over his minor league career. He posted a WHIP of 1.07 while striking out 43 and walking 19. Other than his three starts in his first season with the  AZL Dodgers he has pitched in relief.

During the current season with the Tulsa Drillers he has pitched 22.2 innings over 14 appearances. He has posted a 1.19 ERA and a 0.93 WHIP while striking out 19 and walking six.  In June in 12.1 innings he has struck out 13 and walked 3.

Mark Washington is one of those guys who just keeps coming and a bit unexpectedly. Up until now, he has been pretty much invisible although 6’7” on the mound is a bit difficult to miss. He doesn’t seem to overpower but also seems to be a guy who knows how to pitch in various situations.  As Mark Timmons mentioned on Friday, he has a 94-95 MPH fastball, a nice change, and a decent slider. His K/BB ratio has continued to improve as has the command of his pitches. His pitching philosophy is simple and effective.

“I just try to attack with the fastball and get ahead with the fastball early in counts,” explained Washington. “After that I’ll mix in my breaking ball or changeup depending on if they’re a lefty or righty. Basically I attack with the fastball early and finish with the off-speed.”

“My changeup has definitely developed more,” said Washington. “Last year I didn’t throw it much. But this year I’m confident throwing it to both lefties and righties, so yeah it’s developed quite a bit.”

Washington has adapted to his role in the pen and likes the challenges that role brings.

“I like that you get to just go out there and eat up a few innings,” stated Washington. “You don’t have to go out there and pace yourself. You get to go out there and focus on getting quick outs.”

What else is there to know about Mark Washington?  Michael Schwab, one of his university teammates , said the culture of Lehigh baseball and Lehigh athletics itself would also aid Washington in his pursuit of a professional baseball career.

“I think it’s our culture that is going to ground him,” Schwab said. “This is a place that’s a lot different than professional baseball. It’s a very blue-collar, mentally tough attitude that serves you well no matter what you decide to do in life. Mark (Washington) definitely has that, and I think that’s what’s going to make the difference between him and another pitcher. They might have the same stuff, but Mark (Washington) is tougher.”