On Sunday, the Washington Nationals dropped a close series finale against their NL East rival Philadelphia Phillies in Citizens Bank Park by a score of 3-2. On the bright side, the Nationals' bullpen turned in another phenomenal performance, putting up a load of zeroes after start Jake Irvin failed to make it through the third inning.
Irvin has seen the wheels completely fall off in the second half of this season, as he now owns a 5.40 ERA and 1.43 WHIP, and it's pretty hard to argue that him and fellow struggling starter Mitchell Parker give this team any sort of chance to win every fifth day. However, on the starting pitching front, it is not completely bad news, as there might be reinforcements coming through the farm system within the next year or so.
The biggest reinforcement could come in the form of righty Jarlin Susana, a Top 100 Prospect in all of baseball, #72 overall, and the #3 prospect in the Nationals organization, according to MLB Pipeline. Some publications have Susana above fellow top righty flamethrower Travis Sykora, likely due to Sykora's recent Tommy John Surgery that is likely to knock him out into next season.
Susana flashed his upside again on Sunday afternoon, with a second consecutive impressive start against the Erie Seawolves, the AA affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. On Sunday, Susana posted 10 strikeouts compared to just 3 walks over 5.0 innings, allowing 1 earned run and 2 hits against a lineup for Erie that includes 3 Top 100 Prospects and 2 Top 10 Prospects in Kevin McGonigle and Max Clark.
This performance followed up Susana's start from early last week that saw him strike out 13 batters in 5.0 innings, and he also allowed 2 hits and 1 earned run in that game while only walking 2 batters. With his 70-grade fastball and 70-grade slider, he already has a repertoire that could make him an extremely viable big league reliever at a minimum, but of course the Nationals want to see if he can stick as a starter given the ease in which he can hit high velocity numbers.
After joining the Nationals organization as a lottery ticket in the Juan Soto deal, Susana has become one of the most electrifying pitching prospects in all of baseball, and he could be ticketed for a big league debut as soon as next season. Assuming the 21-year-old finishes the season strong in AA to end 2025, he could begin next season with AAA Rochester, putting him on the doorstep of the big leagues to start 2026.
When do you think Jarlin Susana will reach the big leagues? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.