The struggles of Jake Irvin and Mitchell Parker have been well documented at this point. It is obvious that the Washington Nationals need new blood in their rotation sooner rather than later. However, thanks to injuries and a lack of depth, the options are limited. There is one trump card though, and his name is Jarlin Susana.
We have been writing about the burly right hander a lot lately, and for good reason. It seems like he does something special every start in Double-A. He did that again last
night. Susana faced the stacked Erie SeaWolves for a second straight start and dominated again. He struck out 10 and allowed one run over five innings.
Facing a lineup full of top prospects, Susana’s overpowering stuff was just too much for them. His fastball was sitting 100-102 MPH and the scouts that were there said his slider was even better last night.
However, there was one pitch that really made my jaw drop and could help him take his game to the next level. Susana got a whiff on an insane 94 MPH changeup. Yes, I know that sounds like an oxymoron, but for him 94 MPH is taking something off. It had ridiculous movement and the hitter had no chance.
It looked like one of those Jhoan Duran or Paul Skenes splinkers. If he can consistently throw that thing as well as his fastball and slider, hitters have no chance. Even if he walks more guys than you would like, he would be so un-hittable that it would not matter too much.
So with that in mind, should the Nationals call up Susana. Well, I am conflicted personally. My head says that it would be better to let him see out the season in the minors. Give him a promotion to Triple-A and let him finish the year there. After all, he is only 21 years old and his control is not exactly pinpoint. Even last night, he walked three guys in five innings.
However, the fan in me wants to see Susana. Even with his flaws, I am pretty convinced he would be better at getting MLB hitters out then Mitchell Parker or Jake Irvin. Those guys are just so much more hittable. It would also be so exciting to see a guy pumping 102 MPH heaters, 94 MPH changeups and a slider that might be the best of the three pitches.
It would make the last month of the season so much more fun and enjoyable. However, it is not Mike DeBartolo’s job to entertain the fans, it is to do what is best for the team. If he thinks Susana is better served in the minors, that is fine by me and makes sense.
At the very least, I would like to see him make a few starts in AAA. It would be good preparation for 2026 for Susana. He will be facing more high quality hitters with better approaches. A lot of Triple-A guys are former big leaguers after all.
However, one thing that could make you want to call up Susana is the injury factor. We should not be wasting any of Susana’s bullets in the minors if we don’t have to. Guys like Travis Sykora and DJ Herz have gone down with Tommy John this year. It is a reminder of how quickly things can change in the life of a pitcher.
Susana has already had an elbow injury this season, so you hold your breath a bit every time he is out there. However, he has come back even better since the injury. I just want as many of those bullets to be fired at the MLB level where he is making the big league team better.
At the end of the day, I would be fine with either decision. Susana’s stuff is good enough where he would probably be able to at least hold his own even if he is still a raw talent. Even in 2025, you don’t see a ton of guys with that kind of power stuff. It is even more rare to see a guy hold 100-102 MPH velocity deep into games like Susana does.
However, if the Nationals brass don’t think he is ready, they should keep him in the minors. There are real flaws in Susana’s game, even if his stuff is high octane enough to cover them up for now. My heart tells me to give Susana the call to the big leagues straight from Double-A. However, my head tells me to let him finish out the season in Triple-A and compete for a job next spring training.
