Jarlin Susana may be the obvious name in Washington’s Arizona Fall League group, but the Nationals are also giving one of their quieter prospects a chance to make some noise out in the desert.
That player is Jorgelys Mota, the 21-year-old outfielder MLB Pipeline pegged as the club’s “sleeper prospect” for the AFL. He isn’t ranked among Washington’s top 30 prospects, but the tools are hard to ignore. Signed out of the Dominican Republic as an international free agent in 2022, Mota has already shown flashes that make him worth tracking.
His raw power stood out in spring training, when he posted the highest exit velocity of any Nationals player in Grapefruit League play at 115.0 mph and launched the club’s longest home run at 434 feet. He also brings speed, giving him a rare blend of pop and wheels that MLB Pipeline described as one of the best combinations in the system.
The AFL assignment comes after a stop-and-start season for Mota, who played only 36 games because of multiple trips to the injured list. That was a frustrating setback, especially after he looked like he was turning a corner in 2025.
At Single-A, Mota hit .270/.341/.409 over 81 games, adding six homers, 17 doubles, three triples and 42 RBIs. The strikeout total was still high at 101, and he drew just 26 walks, but it was easily his strongest showing since rookie ball in 2023.
Washington also altered his path this year by moving him from the infield to center field. The idea is to let his athleticism play more naturally in the outfield and ease some of the pressure on his bat.
For the Nationals, the Arizona Fall League is a chance to get Mota more at-bats and more game action. For Mota, it’s a shot to keep building on the skills that have made him an intriguing name even without the prospect rankings.
In Other News...
Nationals Catching Battle Just Got More Complicated This Offseason
The Nationals catching picture already looked like an offseason issue, and Riley Adams only added another layer to it. The veteran backstop did not appear in the majors for Washington this season, but he stayed productive at Triple-A and still gave the club a familiar presence in the system as the year wound down.
Now Adams is on the market after being outrighted off the 40-man roster, leaving Washington to sort through a position that is clearly in flux. If he does not come back, the opening could push Maxwell Romero Jr. farther up the depth chart, making the next few weeks especially important for how the Nationals map out their catching plans. [Read more 🡒]
Former Nationals Are Fueling Plenty Of October Emotions Again
October has a way of turning old Nationals connections into fresh talking points, and this years playoff field is full of them. Washington fans have had plenty to track beyond their own club, with several former Nationals scattered across the bracket and wearing different uniforms as the postseason gets rolling. Luis Garcia Jr. is among the most notable names, making his first career playoff start with the Yankees, while Curtis Mead, Foster Griffin and Erick Fedde are also in the mix with their current teams.
Bryce Harper remains the biggest emotional touchpoint for plenty of Nationals followers, because every postseason he seems to find a way back into the conversation. This year is no different, with Harper once again involved in a high-stakes game that pulled the attention of anyone still keeping one eye on their former stars. For Washington, it is another reminder that even when the Nationals are not in October themselves, their recent history tends to show up there anyway. [Read more 🡒]
Nationals Learned One Clear Lesson From Baseballs New Challenge System
The Nationals spent the first year of baseballs ABS challenge system learning who could make the best use of it, and the results gave them a pretty clear roadmap for the future. Keibert Ruiz emerged as one of the clubs better hitters in that area, while the overall picture suggested a team that was figuring out when to push back and when to let a call stand.
There were encouraging individual signs, too, with CJ Abrams proving especially sharp in his own opportunities and other players showing enough success to suggest the system can become another small edge for Washington. The bigger concern is that not everyone handled it equally well, and the Nationals will have to sort out which voices to trust most if they want to turn a decent first pass into a real advantage. [Read more 🡒]