Washington Nationals recall Drew Storen from minors

Jul 26, 2013; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals pitcher Drew Storen (22) reacts after giving up a home run to New York Mets first baseman Ike Davis (not pictured) in the ninth inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports /

Remember when Drew Storen was the “closer of the future” for one of the best teams in baseball?

Those days seem incredibly far away at this point, but Storen was recalled to the big leagues (from Triple-A Syracuse) on Thursday afternoon. It wasn’t an overly successful trip to the minors for the 26-year-old, as he posted an ERA of just 5.68 during his demotion. However, there were signs of encouragement, and his 11-to-0 strikeout to walk ratio indicates that he may be turning the corner with his stuff.

Storen was one of the best closers in all of baseball in 2011, saving 43 games with a solid 2.75 ERA. Since that time, however, he struggled through an injury-plagued season in 2012 (where he was good when he pitched), and a dreadful on-field season in 2013 that has seen his ERA climb to 5.95 in 42.1 innings.

Washington is nearly dead in the playoff race, having fallen 14 games behind the Braves in the NL East and a slightly more manageable 8.5 games behind in the Wild Card chase. The door isn’t completely closed on this season, but it would certainly help if Washington could slam the door when they actually generate late-game leads. Storen won’t be inserted into a closer (or late-inning) role right away, but he probably has the best pure “stuff” in the entire bullpen, and it is time to re-groom him for the future.

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