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Nationals Star Pitching Prospect Jake Bennett Ready for One Thing This Offseason

Originally posted on Washington Nationals on SI
By Brad Wakai | Last updated Sep 26, 2025 7:00 PM ET

The Washington Nationals are in a bad way when it comes to pitching.

Not only did they have a horrendous showing on the major league mound this season with an ERA that was only better than the lowly Colorado Rockies, but they also don't have a ton of depth due to all the injuries their talented arms have suffered.

Josiah Gray, Cade Cavalli, DJ Herz, Mason Thompson, Jake Bennett and now top-ranked prospect Travis Sykora are some of the notable names who have recently undergone the dreaded Tommy John procedure.

That makes it hard to field a competent pitching staff. And for the Nationals to get back to being a competitive team at some point in the next few years, they will need many of those pitchers to return to the mound healthy so they can perform at the same level they did previously.

Someone who has made his return is Bennett, the left-hander who Washington selected in the second round of the 2022 draft. He impressed during his debut season the year after he was selected with a 1.93 ERA across nine starts at the Single-A level. But after he earned a promotion to High-A, he lost command and felt pain in his elbow, which resulted in him undergoing Tommy John surgery.

Bennett, who is ranked 10th in the team's pipeline rankings, reminded everyone of his talent in 2025. He posted a 2.27 ERA across 19 outings (18 starts) at the Single-A, High-A and Double-A levels. What perhaps was the most encouraging thing was he only issued 19 walks in 75 1/3 innings pitched, a great sign that he is on his way to fully recovering.

Jake Bennett Excited To Add Strength This Offseason

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After extensive rehab to get his body back to the point where he could pitch in the pros again, this winter will be all about developing his arm, body and pitching arsenal so he can continue to make his push to become a major league starting pitcher.

"I'm super excited for that," Bennett said, per Andrew Golden of The Washington Post (subscription required). "Just continuing to try and get as strong as possible. Really work on the delivery, work on the secondary pitches, all the shapes and everything."

The good news is the 6-foot-6 left-hander was able to get back to his normal velocity levels this season, sitting in the 91-94 mph range. He pairs that with a sinker and change up that induces a high rate of ground balls.

With a good offseason where he remains healthy and gets to spring training ready to showcase what he can do, Golden believes Bennett could find himself making his MLB debut at some point next year, especially because they have to add him to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.

"Bennett has the most straightforward path to the big leagues next season," Golden wrote.

All of that will be determined by performance, which is why it's important for the 24-year-old to have a great winter as he continues to develop and prepare to become a real rotation piece for the Nationals going forward.