Nationals top pitching prospect Jarlin Susana’s career has been defined by two things: almost unbelievable fastball velocity and continued attempts to keep him healthy.
With a clean bill of health heading into the 2026 Arizona Fall League season, the righty was able to let things rip; and let things rip he did. His first start in the AFL was headlined by his fastball touching 103.8 mph, and he kept lighting up the radar gun en route to a league-leading 26 punchouts.
Susana went on to throw 18.2 innings
in the AFL season, almost matching the 20.1 total innings he threw across the entirety of the 2026 season. His command remains a point of emphasis, still registering 13 walks, but his triple-digit fastball and .162 batting average against placed him firmly among the top arms in the league. The secondary offerings he showed, albeit experimental at times, also gave hitters far more than they could deal with.
His primary breaking ball was clocked routinely in the upper 90s and was causing all sorts of problems, and he even mixed in a slower sweeper-type pitch that should create another storyline for Nats fans to watch going into 2027.
Two aspects of Susana’s showing might go unnoticed but point to him continuing his upward trajectory: his ability to carry his velocity through a higher pitch count and maintain control when switching between his arsenal.
He was given the start in the league quarterfinals and worked 2 2/3 innings with his pitch count climbing above 55, and continued to flash 100+ with his heater throughout his start. The pitch mixing was on full display during his strikeout to end a scoreless inning in the AFL All-Star game, as he pumped 103.1 mph for strike two before flipping in an 87 mph breaking ball to finish off Baltimore Orioles prospect Vance Honeycutt Jr.
Susana is among Washington’s crop of elite pitching talent in the pipeline, and he now enters a major offseason regarding how soon he can impact the MLB club. Continuing to refine his command will be the top selling point for when he finally takes the mound at Nationals Park, but his AFL performance showed that, when healthy, he has the raw stuff to carve up lineups with ease.
How much time he will have to showcase his skills against big league talent in the near future remains to be seen with the lockout looming, but prioritizing Susana’s development is likely near the top of the Washington brass’ priority list in the coming months.
