Nationals Prospect Jorgelys Mota Has Eye-Catching Moment in Arizona Fall League
In this story:
Arizona Fall League action is underway, and a handful of Washington Nationals prospects are trying to use this showcase circuit as a way to stand out to the new front office regime.
Jarlin Susana, the team's top-ranked prospect who was sent out to the desert, flashed his upside when he started the first game of the AFL for the Salt River Rafters. Routinely hitting 100 mph and more with his fastball, he settled in after a wild first inning to pick up the win in what turned out to be a solid start.
On Tuesday, another Nationals prospect turned some heads, too. This time, it was outfielder Jorgelys Mota, who demolished a baseball during his first at-bat to hit a home run that might go down as the furthest hit baseball during this year's Arizona Fall League.
Jorgelys Mota Hits 455-Foot Home Run
Mota, who possesses some massive raw power that was on display during spring training when he hit a homer 434 feet with a 115 mph exit velocity, showed off that power once again out in the desert.
The 21-year-old crushed one 455 feet on Tuesday, which, according to MLB.com, was a distance only exceeded by Andres Chapparo this season when it came to Washington's major league players. The ball Mota hit also had an exit velocity of 114.2 mph, which is a monstrous number that shows the kind of pop he has in his bat.
What makes this moment even more impressive is that this was Mota's first competitive game since Aug. 25. And his home run came on the first competitive at-bat he'd had since then. He dealt with tons of injury issues throughout the 2026 campaign, which caused him to play in only 36 total games. Now, in the AFL, the hope is he can make up for lost time after he seemed to take the next step in his career during the 2025 season.
Of course, if Mota continues to hit the ball the way he did on Tuesday, he'll do more than make up for lost time. He'll vault himself into an interesting spot when it comes to his place within the organization, as the talented youngster has never been considered a top 30-level prospect for the Nationals despite the intriguing skill set he has.
Mota will be a player to keep an eye on throughout the Arizona Fall League. Washington shifted him to center field, which is the position he'll play during his time in this showcase circuit. Reducing his swing-and-miss while also continuing to hit the ball hard will go a long way to help raise his profile within the pipeline, especially if he can show off some upside when playing in center.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
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