Two Nationals Prospects Named to Top 30 List With Strong Arizona Fall League Showings
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The Washington Nationals sent a solid group of prospects to the Arizona Fall League this year.
Seaver King was their headliner. The previous top 10 pick in the draft underwhelmed this season, so the organization wanted to see what he could do alongside some of the best prospects in the sport. Same with Jake Bennett, their left-handed pitcher who seemed destined to be a quick riser to the majors before he underwent Tommy John surgery.
It's safe to say both youngsters showed well for themselves, with Bennett leading the AFL in strikeouts and King performing at a level that earned him All-Arizona Fall League honors at the shortstop position.
Both King and Bennett found themselves on the top 30 list of prospects coming out of the AFL this year as put together by Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline, which is a good sign that this Nationals duo is on their way to making some noise at some point during their big league careers.
Seaver King Was Ranked No. 10
The fact King performed the way he did has to make Washington feel confident heading into 2026. While he'll have to carry over his performance from the hitter-friendly desert environment throughout the next campaign, they at least know he can be a star-level player at the professional level.
Coming in at No. 10 on the list, he finished above some of the other buzzworthy names entering the showcase event, which shows King could be tapping into his first-round pick pedigree at the right time.
"King can do a little bit of everything, making regular contact while showing 15-homer power and the athleticism and arm strength to play all over the diamond. He hit .359/.468/.563 with six steals in 18 games, though he could get more out of his advanced bat-to-ball skills if he toned down his aggressive approach," wrote Callis.
Perhaps an overall change in how the Nationals operate will allow King to flourish even more on the the farm this year, as the new regime attempts to modernize things throughout the entire baseball organization.
Jake Bennett Was Ranked No. 28
What Bennett's true ceiling at this stage of his career isn't quite clear. He was incredible during his return season in 2025 with a 2.27 ERA across 19 outings (18 starts). But his strikeout stuff was low with well under a K per inning. That changed in the AFL, but he also had a 4.50 ERA.
Still, there's no doubt that what the lefty did in the desert was a great sign for his chances to become a big league starter with Washington. And it could happen as early as next year based on how many issues the rotation had throughout this past season.
"Bennett pounded the zone with a 92-95 mph sinker to set up his best offering, a plus mid-80s changeup with significant fade. That formula allowed him to lead the Fall League in strikeouts (25) while ranking second in innings (20) and third in walk rate (2.3 per nine innings) and K/BB ratio (5.0). He posted a 4.50 ERA and could become a No. 4 starter," wrote Callis.
It will be interesting to see the progression of Bennett this spring. If his strikeout stuff is back and he can continue to be effective in the zone, then he has a good chance of making the Opening Day roster as a featured starting pitcher.
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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