Executives Believe Star Nationals Prospect Could Become Elite Major League Closer

Will a role change come for one of the star Washington Nationals prospects at some point?

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One of the things the Washington Nationals have to figure out is how all of their young pitching prospects fit into the puzzle going forward.

While the current big league roster is lacking high-end arms across both the starting rotation and bullpen, the Nationals' farm system is filled with intriguing talent. Three of their top five prospects, according to MLB Pipeline, are pitchers. 12 of their top 30 are also pitchers, with many of them being years away from reaching the majors.

That gives this regime time to figure out exactly how those arms are going to be utilized at the upper levels, with some of the starters getting converted into relievers before they make their major league debuts when that time comes.

Someone who could fit that billing is star prospect Jarlin Susana, the flamethrowing right-hander who looks like he is going to be a weapon for the Nationals at some point during his career. However, many executives around the league believe that will come in a different role other than starting pitcher.

Executives Believe Jarlin Susana Could Be 'Best Future Closer'

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Jonathan Mayo of MLB Pipeline surveyed more than 40 executives across nearly every MLB organization. Topics included who they felt was the best prospect in baseball, who the best pitching prospect is and other questions like which pitching prospect they believe will become the best closer in the future.

Coming in second with 19.5% of the vote was Susana. He trailed left-handed pitcher Liam Doyle of the St. Louis Cardinals, who received 29.3% of the vote.

On the surface, the notion that Susana would become a closer at some point in his career is not surprising. The fourth-ranked prospect in Washington's pipeline, who ranks 87th overall, throws a triple-digit fastball with an electric slider that might be his best pitch.

Jarlin Susana, 102mph & 103mph ⛽️⛽️ pic.twitter.com/vqtdSemPRk

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 15, 2024

His ability to miss bats -- 380 career strikeouts across 268 total innings -- makes him a prime candidate to become a closer at some point during his career. However, the Nationals have not shown a willingness to move him away from being a starter just yet.

Susana, who is 21 years old, has pitched 67 of his 68 minor league games as a starter. During that time, he has a 4.03 ERA and is coming off a campaign this past season where he dominated Double-A competition with a 3.61 ERA across 11 starts where he rung up 79 batters in 47 1/3 innings pitched and walked just 32.

That was the step forward Washington was hoping to see from him as a starter. But he also suffered a significant right lat muscle tear in late August this past year that caused him to undergo season-ending surgery. That followed a UCL sprain, which is a concerning injury on its own.

Because of that, it's not out of the question to think the Nationals will eventually look to convert Susana into becoming their closer of the future, utilizing his incredible strikeout ability to shut down games for them.

This will be something to keep an eye on going forward, especially because multiple executives around the league already view the flamethrower as a potential star closer when he arrives to The Show.