Washington Nationals prospect Brad Lord is going from hauling dirt to pitching on it.
Lord has reportedly made the Nationals’ opening day roster, just months after supporting his baseball dreams with an offseason job at Home Depot, per multiple reports. Lord, a right-handed pitcher, will join Washington’s bullpen for the team’s home opener against the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday.
Prior to joining the Nationals’ camp, the Tallahassee, FL native spent the winter working at the home improvement store lugging mulch and Christmas trees, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan. The winter before, Lord worked at a Publix, making money during the offseason at the Florida-based grocery store, per The Washington Post’s Spencer Nusbaum.
From Home Depot to home opener: Washington right-hander Brad Lord, who worked at the home-improvement store moving mulch and Christmas trees over the winter, has made the Nationals and will be in the bullpen for Opening Day on Thursday against Philadelphia.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 26, 2025
Lord was selected by the Nationals in the 18th round of the 2022 draft. He’s spent the past two seasons bouncing between Washington’s minor league affiliates, making his way up to the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings last year.
The 24-year-old attended the Nationals’ camp as a non-roster invitee, marking his first major league camp. In addition to the rest of his pitching arsenal, Lord improved his fastball to 98 mph this spring, per MLB’s in-house news site. Lord pitched in 13.1 innings across nine games, finishing with eight strikeouts and a WHIP of 1.43, seemingly impressing Washington’s staff with his outing.
The rest of the Nationals’ opening day roster has yet to be announced.
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