It has been a couple weeks since we have caught up on the Arizona Fall League, so I thought it was time to give some updates. The Nationals have actually had a few stand out performers down in Arizona.
We have talked about Seaver King, but there are some other players having big impacts.
The first guy I want to talk about is one of my favorite prospects in the organization, Sam Petersen. He was an 8th round pick out of Iowa in 2024. Despite the lesser pedigree, he was the most productive Nat from the 2024 class. He hit .310 with a .905 OPS in 57 games this year. Petersen was sent to the AFL to get more games in because he was injured for a lot of the season.
Petersen has gotten his reps and has been dominant. He is hitting .341 with a 1.083 OPS in 12 AFL games. Petersen is coming off a 4/4 game where he doubled and homered. All this kid has done is hit in his professional career. Right now, MLB Pipeline has him as the 24th ranked Nationals prospect, but I would have him at least 10 spots higher than that.
If Petersen can stay healthy in 2026, his stock should explode. The Nats have a ton of outfield talent, and Sam Petersen is just the next in that assembly line. He has a very well rounded game with power, speed and contact ability. There is not a whole lot this kid cannot do. I am excited to follow him in 2026.
However, the biggest breakout star of the AFL for the Nats is a more familiar name in Seaver King. The former 10th overall pick had a massively disappointing first full pro season, finishing the year with an OPS of .631. Trey Yesavage, who was picked after him becoming a World Series star, has not helped matters either.
King has done a nice job rebuilding his stock in Arizona though. Like Petersen, King has posted a 1.083 OPS, but he has played 14 games. Seaver King is hitting .377 and leads the league with 24 RBI’s. He is spraying the ball all around the yard and looks like the guy the Nats drafted out of Wake Forest.
King still has a lot to prove to come close to justifying his selection. The AFL is a hitter friendly league, but it is still nice to see him mashing. He will need to do it in real Minor League games, but it is nice to see him hitting. Hopefully he can have a bounce back year in 2026.
On the pitching side of things, the star of the show has been Jake Bennett. He was the best pitching prospect the Nats sent, and he has shown why. Do not be fooled by his 5.40 ERA, Bennett has thrown the ball well.
He has struck out 22 batters and has only walked four in Arizona. A lack of strikeout stuff was a question mark for Bennett this year, but he has shown it in Arizona. Bennett has a deep arsenal of pitches that he commands well. His fastball sits at 93-95 MPH and he has a really good changeup to go with it. Bennett can also land a variety of decent breaking balls.
The Nats will have to make a decision on whether they want to protect Bennett from the Rule 5 draft. Despite not pitching above AA, he should obviously be protected. He is close to big league ready and would be claimed if he went unprotected. If he stays healthy, I am pretty confident that Bennett will be throwing in the MLB next season.
Another notable name in the AFL is Nats second round pick from 2025 Ethan Petry. He is actually the only 2025 draftee in the league. Petry has held his own, with an OPS around .800. However, a lot of that has come from him taking a ton of walks.
The Nats big guns have had a successful stint in Arizona. That is nice to see after a shaky year on the farm. Improving this farm will be a big priority for Paul Toboni. He has set out to create a scouting and player development monster. That starts in the Minor Leagues.
