Josiah Gray was the early face of the Nationals’ rebuild. Now he’s an All-Star

It took a little while for Josiah Gray to grasp exactly what was going on.

He had just been traded to the Washington Nationals from the Los Angeles Dodgers as part of the haul for Max Scherzer and Trea Turner in 2021. The rebuild was on, and Gray was an early face of it.

“There’s a lot of fanfare, and you want to come over and instantly be successful,” Gray said. “But within this game, you have to grow. I think there’s still a lot of growth to be done.”

There certainly is for Gray and the last-place Nationals, who still have a lot to learn about winning. But for the first time, the 25-year-old pitcher is an All-Star and his ascent is a glimmer of hope for an organization mired in dark days just four years removed from winning the World Series.

“We’re just going to continue to progress and see what we can do,” Gray said this week. “We’re all progressing as the year goes on. Myself, I’m going out there giving the team a chance to win every game.”

After four consecutive losses to start to the season, the Nationals have won eight of the 14 times Gray has pitched since. In that time, the right-hander is 6-3 with a 3.32 ERA and has struck out 76 batters in 78 2/3 innings.

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PHOTOS: Josiah Gray was the early face of the Nationals' rebuild. Now he's an All-Star

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“He’s doing well,” manager Dave Martinez said. “You guys get to see it every five days. I see him every day and how much time he puts in to get better. I’m proud of him.”

Gray, who is tied for the major league lead with 18 starts and is 6-7 with a 3.41 ERA, attributes his success to everything from learning more about pitch usage and working on his stuff to figuring out hitters and handling the adversity that comes with being a young player on a losing team.

“Results may be good, they may be bad, but I’ve got to stick with my process,” Gray said. “I’ve been able to learn from my mistakes, be able to kind of understand why a start might not go my way or what led to a successful start.”

It’s a chance to go through some growing pains he might not get with the Dodgers or another contender. The Nationals have leaned into letting Gray and other young pieces of the future - like fellow starter MacKenzie Gore, catcher Keibert Ruiz and shortstop C.J. Abrams - make mistakes that should help them down the road.

After an emotional conversation including some tears to deliver the news that he was heading to Seattle for All-Star festivities, Martinez had Gray address the rest of the team. Gray told teammates, “Without you, this wouldn’t be possible,” and he has pointed specifically to Ruiz, who came over from the Dodgers in the same trade.

But Gray is a focal point for a reason, along with Gore part of Washington’s rotation of tomorrow. He has figured out how to handle the spotlight and embrace the winning days to come in the years ahead.

“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. But 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.”