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SAN DIEGO, CA - SEPTEMBER 09: Zack Littell #52 of the Cincinnati Reds pitches during the game between the Cincinnati Reds and the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on Tuesday, September 9, 2025 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Ryan Levy/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images After signing with the club a few days ago, Zack Littell made his first start of the spring last night. His three innings of work gave Nats fans a taste of what they should expect from him.

There was some hard contact, but he pounded the zone, was efficient and fired three innings of one run ball. Three solid innings for Littell. Some loud contact in the first but did a nice job avoiding the barrel after that.

Velo was down a tick but given the fact this is his first start of the spring, that is not a surprise — federalbaseball (@federalbaseball) March 13, 2026 For a guy who signed just a few days ago, Littell looked sharp. His velocity was down by about a tick, but that is not very surprising to me. He signed late and still needs time to build up.

Littell is confident that his velocity will be in a good spot by the time the season is under way. He said, “As I continue to get everything in sync, the timing gets better, the body continues to organize itself better, everything should continue to get sharper”. The way he talked about his mechanics and getting his body aligned is very interesting to me.