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Best Pitch of Nationals Prospect Jarlin Susana Might Not Be His Electric Fastball

Originally posted on Washington Nationals on SI
By Brad Wakai | Last updated Aug 29, 2025 8:00 AM ET

The Washington Nationals need help in their starting rotation.

Beyond the breakout season of MacKenzie Gore, the outlook is bleak with both Jake Irvin and Mitchell Parker taking steps back this year, calling into question what their viability looks like going forward. Cade Cavalli has made his way back following Tommy John surgery, but he doesn't have that same strikeout stuff he once possessed, and it's unknown whether or not it will return.

On the farm, there was a lot of buzz surrounding Travis Sykora. But just like Cavalli and their other top 30 prospect DJ Herz, the right-hander had to undergo Tommy John surgery of his own, which pushes his timeline back by at least a year or two.

This reality has put even more of a spotlight on Jarlin Susana, the third-ranked prospect in the Nationals' pipeline. While he possesses the upside to be a dominant pitcher at the major league level, he hasn't quite put it all together when it comes to his control and consistent pitching performances.

What makes the right-hander so intriguing is his electric fastball, something that reaches the triple digits already at just 21 years old.

Jarlin Susana (MLB's No. 79 prospect) dialed it up to 102 mph -- eclipsing 100 mph four times -- in a scoreless inning for the @Nationals. pic.twitter.com/n4ZzB1l477
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) March 1, 2025

At 6-foot-6 and 235 pounds, there isn't a whole lot of worry that his body won't be able to handle pitching at that velocity for an extended period of time, which is why Washington and evaluators across the sport are enthralled by what his ceiling could be.

A lot of that comes from the fact that Susana isn't just a fastball thrower. While he possesses that electric weapon and uses it as his primary pitch, he pairs it with a slider and changeup that keeps hitters off balance.

And despite the eye-popping velocity his fastball has, plenty of evaluators believe there is actually another pitch in his arsenal that is his best one.

Jarlin Susana's Slider Might Be His Best Pitch

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In a piece put together by Sam Dykstra and Joe Trezza of MLB.com, they highlighted "the hottest pitching prospects right now" for each team across Major League Baseball. And based on the way Susana has been pitching as of late, his selection shouldn't surprise anyone.

But it's the nugget they shared about his slider that was the attention grabber, with them stating, " ... his 86-88 mph slider could be an even better pitch with the way it generates wicked whiff rates."

Considering how rare it is to possess a fastball that reaches the 100 mph mark, the fact he has a slider that some consider to be his best pitch should be enough to get Nationals fans fired up about his future.

The next step in Susana's career is combining his nasty stuff with control that will allow him to be a big league starter for a long time. But with a 3.15 ERA across 10 starts at the Double-A level where he's struck out 76 batters in 45 2/3 innings pitched with 29 walks, it's hard to not believe he could be a future ace for Washington.