Nationals Prospect Dazzles in Arizona Fall League in Midweek Game

The Washington Nationals have several prospects who are suiting up in the Arizona Fall League, yet days after right handed pitcher Jarlin Susana was honored, another prospect continued his stellar start to the offseason.

One of several Nationals suiting up on the Salt River Rafters through the Arizona Fall League this month, catcher Kevin Bazzell is coming off an impressing showing on Wednesday night after going 2-for-2 with one home run and a pair of RBIs despite a 7-3 loss.

With the Salt River Rafters trailing, 4-1, in the top of the fourth inning, Bazzell took a 93 mph four seam fastball 426 feet for a two run home run that recorded an exit velocity of 104.7 mph with a 27 degree launch angle. That came after Bazzell singled into left field in the second inning that put runners on the corner, setting up the sacrifice grounder in the ensuing at bat. He then drew a hit by pitch in the sixth inning on a two pitch at bat, the first of two walks on the day, that set up a scoring opportunity moments later after Bazzell stole second in a double steal that materialized into nothing.

Bazzell was one of two Nationals prospects in action on Wednesday as center fielder Leo Banks went 0-for-3 with one strikeout, ending his latest showing with a .360 batting average in the offseason league.

Yet Wednesday marked the latest in the string of encouraging performances for Bazzell, who now has five RBIs with just two strikeouts across 15 at bats and six appearances. Bazzell also leads the River Rafters and ranks fifth across the Arizona Fall League with a 1.238 OPS and .667 slugging.

Bazzell also ranks top five across the Arizona Fall League with a .571 OBP in addition to tied for sixth with a .400 batting average, an encouraging start to the offseason.

The Texas native is coming off a 2026 season where he split time between High A and Double A, though the bulk of his time was spent in Wilmington where he posted seven home runs and 23 RBIs while hitting .276 in 53 appearances. Across 13 games in Double A, Bazzell notched a .327 batting average with a pair of home runs and six RBIs, good enough to end his first stint with a .944 OPS. Bazzell also arrived within the organization after becoming the team's third round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft.