Andry Lara
Venezuelan baseball player (born 2003)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Andry José Lara (born January 6, 2003) is a Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher in the Washington Nationals organization. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut in 2025.
| Andry Lara | |
|---|---|
| Washington Nationals – No. 72 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: January 6, 2003 Coro, Falcón, Venezuela | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| July 2, 2025, for the Washington Nationals | |
| MLB statistics (through 2025 season) | |
| Win–loss record | 0–0 |
| Earned run average | 8.79 |
| Strikeouts | 10 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
Career
Lara trained at Zulia Academy as an amateur,[1] overcoming knee problems as a youth and adding considerable velocity as he grew in strength.[2] By age 16, his fastball could run up to 96 miles per hour (154 km/h). MLB Pipeline considered him the sixteenth-best prospect in the 2019 international amateur free agent class and the best overall pitcher.[3] The Washington Nationals signed Lara for a reported $1.25 million bonus on July 2, 2019.[2][4] He was the Nationals' top-ranked international signee for the period.[5] Lara did not appear for the organization in 2019, and did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[6]
In 2021, Lara made his professional debut, advancing during the minor league season from the rookie–level Florida Complex League Nationals to the Low–A Fredericksburg Nationals while appearing primarily as a starting pitcher.[7]
Lara made 23 starts for Single-A Fredericksburg in 2022, compiling a 3-8 record and 5.51 ERA with 105 strikeouts across 101+1⁄3 innings pitched. [8] He spent the 2023 season with the High-A Wilmington Blue Rocks. In 23 starts for the team, Lara registered a 6-8 record and 4.58 ERA with 66 strikeouts across 98+1⁄3 innings pitched.[9]
Lara spent the 2024 campaign with Wilmington and the Double–A Harrisburg Senators, compiling an 11–11 record and 3.34 ERA with 132 strikeouts across 134+2⁄3 innings pitched over 25 starts. On November 19, 2024, the Nationals added Lara to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.[10]
Lara was optioned to the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings to begin the 2025 season.[11] On April 20, 2025, Lara was promoted to the major leagues for the first time as the 27th man for Washington's doubleheader against the Colorado Rockies.[12] He did not appear in either game and was optioned back to Rochester to the following day, becoming a phantom ballplayer.[13] On July 2, Lara was promoted to the major leagues for a second time and made his major league debut.[14] In nine appearances for Washington, he struggled to an 8.79 ERA with 10 strikeouts across 14+1⁄3 innings pitched.
On January 20, 2026, Lara was designated for assignment by the Nationals following the acquisition of Mickey Gasper.[15] He cleared waivers and was sent outright to Rochester on January 27.[16]