Riley Cornelio Emerges as Breakout Candidate for Nationals

Washington Nationals pitcher Riley Cornelio has shown breakout potential down the stretch, posting a 2.77 ERA over his last seven outings. Featuring a slider with a 53.2% whiff rate—the fourth-highest in MLB for pitches thrown 200+ times—Cornelio has expanded his arsenal by increasing his cutter usage to 23.9% in September. Across 27.2 innings this season, he has generated 56 whiffs over his last 300 pitches while improving his command.