Nationals Star Pitching Prospect Jarlin Susana Set to Make His Long-Awaited Season Debut
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While the Washington Nationals have struggled when it comes to their pitching staff at the major league level, there is a ton of optimism for what they have in their pipeline.
The Nationals have 13 pitchers ranked as top 30 prospects in their pipeline. 10 of them are at the Double-A level or lower, which makes for an exciting future. Someone who might have the highest ceiling out any of them, though, is Jarlin Susana.
The flamethrowing right-hander has been dominant during the early stages of his career. But unfortunately, he's been on the shelf all year long after recovery from surgery. However, according to Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic (subscription required), Susana is set to make his season debut.
Jarlin Susana Scheduled to Pitch at High-A on Tuesday
Nusbaum reported that Susana is scheduled to appear in a game for High-A Wilmington on Tuesday. It's unclear how much the righty is going to pitch during this outing, but it's likely that Washington will ease him into things considering he hasn't pitched in a game setting since Aug. 30 of last year after undergoing lat surgery.
The information that has come out regarding Susana during his rehab has been nothing short of spectacular, though. He had the ability to easily hit triple-digits with his fastball before he suffered that injury, and that has not changed. Susana has reportedly been lighting up the radar gun, and that caught the attention of an established veteran who was rehabbing alongside of him.
Susana, 22, is ranked No. 3 in the Nationals' farm system, per MLB Pipeline. He has put up some gaudy strikeout numbers during his four-year minor league career, as he's recorded 380 K's across 268 innings in 68 appearances (67 starts). While he still needs to work on his control with 142 walks issued, there is no doubting the elite stuff he possesses with a 100 mph fastball and a wipeout slider that has been his best pitch.
Getting Susana back into the mix to close out the season is crucial for Washington. Beyond the simple fact that one of their best prospects is healthy enough to return, they also need to make some assessments on how they want to deploy him going forward. All signs point to them continuing to utilize him as a starter, but there is clear relief risk that comes with his profile. If he eventually does need to be moved into the bullpen, that wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing since he's drawn some comps to superstar closer Mason Miller. But this regime needs to evaluate him in game settings.
Returning to the mound with High-A Wilmington on Tuesday is the first step in that process. And depending on how everything goes, he might not stay at that level for too long.
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Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he worked at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad became the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continued to cover Penn State athletics. Currently, Brad is the Publisher for Washington Nationals On SI and covers multiple teams across the On SI network. He is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, where he and his co-host discuss topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai