This former Guardian has resurfaced as a relief ace with the Nationals 

The 2022 Cleveland Guardians cycled through a variety of players in their 90-win campaign Surely you remember Alex Call’s 12-game cameo with the Guardians or Tanner Tully’s six innings of work. 

One of those players who seemed destined to be limited to a game of “remember him” around drinks at the Harbor Inn was right-handed pitcher Konnor Pilkington, who tossed 58 innings for the Guardians in 2022 before being traded to the Diamondbacks in 2023 after being designated for assignment. 

At the time, it seemed like the last we’d ever see of Pilkington at the major league level. And that was true for two years until Pilkington quietly earned a call-up with the Washington Nationals earlier this year, where he’s becoming a weapon in their bullpen. 

Konner Pilkington has resurfaced as a relief ace with the Nationals 

Pilkington, 27, has gone 2-0 with a 1.42 ERA in 6 1/3 innings with the Nationals this season since being called up at the end of July. A small sample size, sure, but it’s also the bones of what could be a great second act for the former third-round pick. 

The Guardians acquired Pilkington at the 2021 trade deadline in exchange for César Hernández in a trade that ended up being a bit of a wash for both sides. 

Hernández (who won a Gold Glove in 2020) was an impending free agent and didn’t have a future in Cleveland, which led to the front office making a rare inter-division trade with the White Sox. 

At the time, the White Sox had a 8 1/2 game lead over the Guardians in the American League Central and were in desperate need of a second baseman after Nick Madrigal suffered a season-ending injury. 

Hernández only ended up hitting .232 in 58 games for a White Sox team that lost to the Astros in the American League Division Series. 

On the other side, Cleveland got Pilkington, who wasn’t ranked in Chicago’s Top 30 prospects at the time of the trade but had a reputation as an innings eater. 

That reputation came true during his time in Cleveland, as he pitched in 58 innings with Cleveland across a variety of roles. He opened the 2022 season in the bullpen before shifting to the starting rotation, where he had middling results (4.41 ERA in 51 innings). 

He spent the offseason on the 40-man roster before being traded for the Diamondbacks. Pilkington ended up spending 1 1/2 seasons with the Diamondbacks Triple-A season, where he posted a 7.03 ERA in 138 1/3 innings. 

But he turned things around with the Nationals (2.59 ERA in 41 2/3 innings at Triple-A), which led to his promotion. 

And Pilkington has been a godsend for a Nationals team that has the worst bullpen ERA in baseball and traded away two veterans at this year’s trade deadline. 

Pilkington made a strong first impression in Washington by tossing two scoreless innings in a win over the Reds, becoming the seventh pitcher in Nationals history to earn a win in relief in his team debut. 

The Nationals are in the midst of another lost season, so Pilkington should get plenty of chances the rest of the season. While watching his success in Washington won’t sting in the same way as watching Junior Caminero play for the Rays, it’s still a bit tough to see given the Guardians never really gave him a fair shot to earn a long-term spot.