The Arizona Fall League gives minor league players another chance to hone their craft against top competition, with all 30 clubs sending prospects and those players split into 6 teams. Last year’s AFL standout for the Nationals was Seaver King, who posted a 1.030 OPS in 79 plate appearances, foreshadowing a huge breakout in 2026. The Arizona Fall League is also where King credits current Tigers shortstop Kevin McGonigle for helping him simplify his approach at the plate.
This year, the Nationals have
9 players who have been participating in the Arizona Fall League as part of the Salt River Rafters. I want to take a look at 3 of these players and why their current performances in the AFL are worth paying attention to: RHP Jarlin Susana
The hot ticket prospect for the Nats in the AFL, Susana has been lighting up the radar gun as he often does for the River Rafters, touching 102 MPH consistently. In 16 innings so far, Susana has posted a 4.50 ERA, not the best by any means, but the underlying metrics all support Susana being one of the toughest pitchers to face in the minor leagues.
Susana’s Stuff+ of 113.7 is the 3rd best among all AFL pitchers, and the best of all pitchers with at least 25 hitters faced. His swing-and-miss stuff looks as sharp as ever as well, with his 30% whiff rate and 36.4% chase rate ranking near the top among all AFL pitchers. His command hasn’t been an issue either, with his 12.5% walk rate being above average among all AFL arms.
Susana has gotten into trouble when hitters make contact, with a rough 45.5% hard-hit rate currently, but his stuff is so good he makes it hard for hitters to hit the ball how they want to, as shown by Susana’s barrel rate of 0% currently in the AFL (barrel rate considers both how hard the ball was hit and the launch angle of the hit, for reference). If Susana pitches like this at Triple-A to begin 2027, he’ll find himself in the big leagues rather quickly.
C Kevin Bazzell
The Nats’ third-round pick in 2024, Bazzell had a rough 2025 campaign, posting an 87 wRC+ in 84 games at Low A, but 2026 was a nice rebound for the backstop from Texas Tech, as he posted a 125 wRC+ in 66 games across High A and Double A. Bazzell has now picked up in the AFL right where he left off during the season, as he has a 1.078 OPS in 45 plate appearances for the River Rafters.
Power has never been the strongest part of Bazzell’s game, but it’s been showing up some in the AFL, with a .181 ISO and .545 SLG. Bazzell’s calling card is his on-base ability, and he’s shown why so far in the AFL, as he currently has a .364 AVG and .533 OBP. The 23-year-old catcher will likely open next season at Double-A, and has a chance to be knocking on the door of the big leagues by year’s end if he can continue to hit as he has in 2026.
OF Teo Banks
The Nat’s 18th-round pick in the 2024 draft out of Tulane, Banks hasn’t shown much so far in his minor league career, with a 29 wRC+ in 65 games in 2025 and a 90 wRC+ in 92 games at High A in 2026, but he’s shown up big time so far in the AFL, with a 1.064 OPS in 71 plate appearances.
Banks’ struggles often stem from his plate approach, as he currently has a 30.9% chase rate in the AFL, but all his other tools are looking sharp, with a 16.1% whiff rate and an 88.1 MPH average exit velocity. When Banks is able to keep the swing-and-miss in check, his raw power allows him to do damage, and he’s doing that so far in the AFL for the River Rafters. 2027 will be a critical year for Banks to prove he can hit professional pitching consistently, and his performance so far in the AFL is encouraging
