This Nationals Pitching Prospect Leads All AFL Pitchers in Notable Statistic
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What the Washington Nationals do when it comes to their pitching staff this offseason will be something to monitor, as they could dip into the free agency waters or start promoting some of their prospects to The Show.
Jarlin Susana could be someone who climbs up the ranks quickly in 2026. His nasty strikeout stuff is enticing for anyone, but he'll need to figure out something with his command so that he can be effective at the big league level when he does get called up, whenever that might be.
But there's another prospect who seems poised to become a featured part of the Nationals' rotation in the near future, as Jake Bennett has turned heads in the Arizona Fall League thus far after putting together an impressive 2025 campaign following Tommy John surgery.
Jake Bennett Leads AFL Pitchers in Strikeouts
At the time of writing, the left-hander has the most strikeouts among Arizona Fall League pitchers with 25. That comes across five appearances (four starts) where he has thrown 20 total innings. Bennett leads the AFL in innings thrown, which has helped him rack up the K's. But it's still notable that he's displayed this type of strikeout stuff against some fellow elite prospects since that's something he didn't showcase during the 2025 minor league season.
In fact, Bennett was under a K per inning. While he was impressive in his return with a cumulative 2.27 ERA in 19 appearances (18 starts) across the Single-A, High-A and Double-A levels, he only rung up 64 batters in 75 1/3 frames. That was a noticeable drop compared to what he did in 2023 before he underwent Tommy John surgery, as the lefty struck out 73 battings in 63 innings pitched in Single-A and High-A.
That's why this showing by Bennett out in the desert is encouraging, even if he also sits with a 4.50 ERA and 20 hits allowed.
Jake Bennett (@Nationals) leads the @MLBazFallLeague in strikeouts after his latest start for Scottsdale!
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) October 27, 2025
4 IP | 2 H | 1 R | 2 BB | 6 K pic.twitter.com/bbOdzYbJC6
Taken in the second round of the 2022 draft out of Oklahoma, the left-hander was seen as someone who could quickly rise up the pipeline and be a factor for the big league club in the next few years following his selection.
Now, Bennett has things back on track heading into next season. At 24 years old, there is a good chance the 10th-ranked prospect in Washington's pipeline gets an opportunity to prove what he can do against big league hitters early in the 2026 campaign.
He'll be someone to keep an eye on throughout spring training, as the Nationals try to find the best group of arms they can deploy next year.
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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