In the Arizona Fall League, the Rafters had a rough afternoon and little of it had anything to do with Nationals pitching. They were blanked 10-0 by the Javelinas and committed more errors than hits, piling up five miscues against just three knocks.
Only two Nationals position players were in the lineup, and neither could spark much offense. Kevin Bazzell started at catcher, went 0-for-2 and did not throw out the lone basestealer he tried to catch, stretching his AFL hitless streak to 20 at-bats. Teo Banks handled right field, finished 1-for-3 and swiped a base.
Salt River is back in action this afternoon as the visiting team against Mesa at Goodyear Ballpark.
The bigger picture for the 2026 FCL Nationals is a lot less tidy than the old complex-league model used to be. Back in the “before times,” that circuit was a simple landing spot: young draft picks could ease in, second-tier Dominican Summer League players could get used to playing in the U.S., and injured players could work their way back. Today, only one of those jobs really remains.
The setup changed when the season was pushed up roughly six weeks and wrapped about a week after the First Year Player draft. The result, as the source puts it, is a league built mostly from DSL players and roster-filler picks from the previous year. The broader point is that several traditions now look more like box-checking than anything else, with the playoffs described as a joke and the AFL functioning as a check-the-box exercise - at least as far as the Nationals are concerned, that’s been true for close to 15 years.
Even so, the FCL Nationals still had some useful contributions in 2026. Seven batters came up from the Dominican Republic, including the top three by usage. Leaving out rehabs, six players returned to the level and four advanced to Fredericksburg, and those were the club’s most productive bats.
The rest of the lineup didn’t help much. Washington’s FCL affiliate finished fourth-worst in the league at 5.08 runs per game, even with offense up across the board in 2026.
The pitching staff was a different story, though it came with plenty of churn. Forty-eight pitchers saw action, but only six worked more than 20 innings and just three posted FIPs under 4.
Still, the group led the FCL by allowing 4.21 runs per game, a mark that looks better than the league average of 5.71. The catch is age: the staff was two full years older on average, at 23.1 compared with 21.1, because of the heavy dose of nondrafted free agents.
Add in the third-best defense, and that’s how the club stayed around .500 despite the bats being well behind the pace. And with the pitching depth too thin to justify a full five-man ranking, the rundown will use five hitters and three pitchers for the Top 5s.
In Other News...
Nationals Could Be Ready To Move On From Key Underperformers
The Nationals 2026 season has started to look a little clearer in one important way: the organization has more young talent pushing for bigger roles, and the farm system has gotten enough of a boost that the front office can start thinking differently about the bottom of the roster. With that in mind, the conversation around players like Jose Tena, Drew Millas and Max Kranick has taken on more weight, because Washington can no longer afford to keep carrying spots for production that does not match the direction of the club.
What makes the decisions ahead even more interesting is how much the roster still needs established major league help to support that young core. The Nationals have shown they can identify and develop pieces for the future, but the next step is turning that depth into a more competitive big league team, and that means being willing to move on from underperformers when better options are available. [Read more 🡒]
Nationals Rotation Outlook Suddenly Looks Different Because Of Three New Arms
The Nationals rotation picture has changed quickly over the past few days, and not just because of who is already in the organization. Through recent trades, Washington has brought in three pitching prospects in Jack Cebert, Ben Grable and Josh Hartle, giving the system a fresh wave of arms with some real upside. Cebert and Grable came over from the Yankees after moving from High-A to Triple-A this season, while Hartle arrived from the Guardians and spent the year at Double-A.
For a club still mapping out its long-term pitching depth, the timing matters as much as the talent. MLB Pipeline sees all three as possible major league debut candidates next season, which gives the Nationals another layer of intrigue as they build out what the rotation might look like in the near future. The immediate impact is still to be determined, but the organization has clearly added a few names worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]
Nationals Prospect In The MacKenzie Gore Trade Is Finally Back
Alejandro Rosario is back on the mound program after a long detour that wiped out his 2025 season, giving the Nationals at least some encouraging news on a pitcher they acquired in the MacKenzie Gore trade. Rosario had put together a strong 2024 minor league season before a torn UCL and the delayed surgery that followed pushed his development off track, turning what looked like a promising stretch into a lost year.
Now that he has resumed throwing, the bigger question is what comes next for a pitcher whose future role is still very much unsettled. Rosarios status adds a little extra intrigue to Washingtons offseason picture, because he is eligible for the Rule 5 draft and the club will have to weigh not just his upside, but how much risk it wants to take on after so much time away from game action. [Read more 🡒]