Josiah Gray, now an All-Star, embraces being early face of Nationals rebuild

When growing up in New York, Josiah Gray remembered going to the old Yankee Stadium and seeing advertisements for the 2008 All-Star Game at the venue. He badly wanted to go, but an opportunity never materialized. 

Fifteen years later, Gray will finally get to go to an All-Star Game — albeit on the opposite side of the country in Seattle. And he’ll be more than a spectator. 

“Definitely shocked, but it was really cool to get that nomination,” the Washington Nationals pitcher said. 

Gray may have been surprised to earn the nod, but the 25-year-old was more than a worthy candidate thanks to his dramatic improvement on the mound this season. By cutting his ERA by nearly two full runs, and expanding his pitching arsenal, Gray has started to resemble the pitcher the Nationals envisioned he could become when they acquired him as one of the centerpieces in the 2021 trade that sent stars Max Scherzer and Trea Turner to the Los Angeles Dodgers. 

When he arrived in the District that summer, Gray tried to shy away from the fact he was suddenly the face of Washington’s new rebuild. The expectations? The pressure? All Gray wanted to do was pitch. 

But as he’s set to make his first All-Star appearance later this month — as the Nationals’ lone representative — Gray has learned to embrace the responsibility that comes with being the type of player the franchise is counting on for its rebuild to be a success.

“I don’t like being the center of attention for a lot of things, but I kind of accept it,” Gray said. “I’m just trying to let my play on the field do the talking. It’s been a lot of fun to be one of the guys that this franchise wants to build around, be a piece of this organization that they can stick with for a while.”

Thinking back to 2021, Gray said it “definitely took a second” to process the up-and-down nature of being a rookie. After arriving in July, Gray posted a 2.89 ERA through his first five starts — only to record an 11.42 ERA over the next four. The ping-pong nature of his outings required patience, a perspective that can be hard for any 23-year-old to have. 

These days, Gray said he’s able to manage those “ups and downs a little bit better now.” To open the season, Gray surrendered five earned runs — and three homers — to the Atlanta Braves in a 7-1 loss. But he didn’t let the rough performance bleed into his next few outings. In fact, five earned runs and three homers remain season worsts for Gray, who has a 2.99 ERA in 16 starts since that April 1 loss. 

Part of Gray’s improvement stems from the way that the pitcher now goes about attacking opposing batters. In the spring, Gray focused on adding a cutter to his arsenal. He’s also attempted to throw more pitches that aim to generate contact rather than strikeouts — leading to more efficient outings for the former second-rounder. 

After allowing a league-worst 38 home runs in 2022, Gray has only allowed 12 this season, one fewer than Scherzer has allowed with the Mets. 

“(People) get to see him every five days, I get to see him every day and how much time he puts in to get better,” manager Dave Martinez said of Gray. “I’m proud of him. He deserves to be there. He’s going to represent us well.” 

Upon finding out after Sunday’s game that he made the All-Star team, Gray started to cry when addressing his teammates. He then called his mother, girlfriend and friends to let them know the news.

If all goes well, the Nationals will have more than just Gray to represent them in the years to come. Brady House and James Wood — two of Washington’s top prospects — were named to this year’s Futures Game, for instance. And Washington has other young players such as shortstop C.J. Abrams and catcher Keibert Ruiz who have shown promise in the majors, and others (Robert Hassell, Elijah Green) who are highly rated in the minors. 

But overlooking Nationals Park, a giant poster of Gray hangs from a parking garage — located to the left of banners of Stephen Strasburg and Abrams. 

It’s the kind of poster that, in other ballparks, might have once advertised the All-Star Game coming to town.