While the Washington Nationals were getting put to the sword by the New York Mets last night, one of their top prospects was putting on a show. Facing arguably the best lineup in Minor League baseball, Susana struck out 13 batters in five dominant innings.
With four top 100 prospects in the Tigers Double-A lineup, Jarlin Susana had his work cut out for him. Max Clark, Thayron Liranzo, Kevin McGonigle and Josue Briceno are four of the Tigers top five prospects, and they are all in the same lineup.
However, Jarlin Susana was up for the challenge.
He set the tone in the first inning, striking out Liranzo, McGonigle and Briceno all in a row. Those were three of his 13 strikeouts on the day. He used his triple digit fastball that topped out at 103.5 MPH to overwhelm hitters. Susana throws some of the most effortless heat you will ever see.
To make things even more unfair, his fastball might not even be his best pitch. That honor goes to his wipeout slider that has insane movement and sharpness. Most of his strikeouts came on the slide piece. With hitters cheating to get to 100, they had no chance.
The only blemish of the night came when he gave up a solo homer to Kevin McGonigle on a 100 MPH fastball. It was an insane swing by the Tigers top prospect, who got to a triple digit heater that was up and in. Hey, there is no shame in getting beat by the number two prospect in baseball. Kevin McGonigle is going to be a great hitter in the MLB for a long time.
Jarlin Susana has been absolutely dominant since coming back from injury. At the start of the season, his control was rough and the walks piled up. He still got strikeouts, but he could not go deep into games and was not overly effective. It is possible that he was pitching through that injury for a little while.
However, he has been absolutely electric in August. If you just looked at this month, you could argue that he is the best pitching prospect in baseball. He has 34 strikeouts in 18.2 innings this month. More importantly, he is also keeping the walks in check.
Ever since he came over as a teenager in the Juan Soto trade, Susana’s stuff has never been in doubt. He has always had that triple digit heat and a knockout slider. Susana’s combination of strikeouts and ground ball generation is so rare and valuable.
For him it is all about throwing strikes. Since he has come back from the IL, he has been doing that well enough. Susana will never be confused with Greg Maddux, but if he has average or even slightly below average command, the stuff will play.
There have always been some questions about whether his future is in the rotation or bullpen. With the way he is pitching right now, he should get every opportunity to start. I am bullish on his chances to be in a rotation. Susana has two fastballs, with a two-seam and four-seam. He also has that wipeout slider, a pitch that he can add and subtract velocity from. Susana also has a solid changeup that can be useful as a third offering.
The sky is the limit for Jarlin Susana. With the way he has looked lately, there is an argument to be made that he is the Nationals best prospect. He can hold his 99-103 MPH velocity deep into games, something that is rare even in the modern game. The slider is also just such an excellent pitch.
Hopefully we can see him get a couple starts in AAA to finish the season. That would get him familiar with the new level and push forward his MLB timeline. Susana looks like a guy who is poised to make an impact in the big leagues in 2026 assuming he stays healthy.
The stuff is just so nasty and unhittable, that he is going to have a pretty big margin for error. As long as he is around the zone, he is going to be a handful for MLB hitters. He will be the last piece of the Juan Soto deal to debut when he does. However, sometimes the best is saved for last.
