Scouting Report

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Scouting grades: Fastball: 50 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 60 | Control: 55 | Overall: 50

Bennett pitched with current Nationals top prospect Cade Cavalli at Bixby (Okla.) High and followed him to Oklahoma after turning down Washington as a 39th-round pick in 2019. They're a contrast in styles, with Cavalli a flame-throwing right-hander and Bennett a polished left-hander. While he won't emulate Cavalli by becoming a first-rounder out of college, Bennett could factor into the top two rounds after pitching the Sooners to the College World Series finals by winning four of his five postseason starts. 

Bennett is more effective against right-handers than same-side hitters because his 82-85 mph changeup is a legitimate plus pitch that tumbles at the plate, and he uses it almost exclusively against righties. Although his four-seam fastball has touched 98 mph, it usually operates at 91-94 with some arm-side run, and he must locate it up in the zone to be effective. He uses a slider with similar velocity to his changeup against left-handers, and it lacks consistency while flashing solid sweep at times. 

At 6-foot-6 and 234 pounds, Bennett is built to be a workhorse starter. He has an easy yet somewhat deceptive delivery that he repeats well, allowing him to pound the strike zone throughout his college career. He stands out more for his floor than his ceiling with a good chance of becoming a No. 4 or 5 starter.

Scouting grades: Fastball: 50 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 60 | Control: 55 | Overall: 45

Bennett -- a former high-school and college teammate of Cade Cavalli in Oklahoma -- joined the Nationals as a second-round pick in 2022 after high-K, low-walk junior spring. After signing for full slot at $1,734,800, he began his career with a dominant run at Single-A Fredericksburg (1.93 ERA, 54 strikeouts, eight walks in 42 innings) and joined High-A Wilmington in June. After making only six starts for the Blue Rocks, Bennett underwent Tommy John surgery in September and will be out for much, if not all, of the 2024 campaign.

Coming from a large 6-foot-6 frame, Bennett could touch the upper-90s with his tailing, two-seam fastball but typically settled in the 91-94 mph range. He did lose velo as starts wore on, however, and it’s an open question if the elbow was to blame and he’ll be able to maintain it over multiple innings upon his return. It did help generate a 52.5 percent groundball rate because of the movement. His best pitch remains a low-80s changeup that tumbles nicely and has the armside movement to play off the fastball. He'll also show a low-80s slider with enough two-plane break to be an average pitch.

Despite his size, Bennett has an easy, repeatable delivery, and the excellent control he showed in college has translated fairly well to the pros so far. The former Sooners southpaw will be 24 on Opening Day 2025 when he could be ready to tackle his next full season, but assuming everything returns, he has the pieces to be a future split-resistant starter in Washington’s rotation.

Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Slider: 45 | Changeup: 60 | Control: 55 | Overall: 45

Bennett and fellow Nationals prospect Cade Cavalli have been tied together before -- first at Bixby (Okla.) High and then in college at Oklahoma. The pair are back together again after Washington selected the 6-foot-6 southpaw in the second round last July after he posted a 3.69 ERA with 133 strikeouts and 22 walks in 117 frames in his final spring with the Sooners. Bennett signed for full slot at $1,734,800 but didn’t pitch in Minor League games due to the heavy collegiate workload, though he threw some in instructs.

The left-hander is a backwards-split guy because of a 82-85 mph tumbling changeup that can absolutely befuddle righties. He typically sits around 91-94 mph with a heater and is capable of touching 98 when he really rears back. The pitch plays up some because of his size and extension, and typical of the modern game, it’s at its best when he climbs the ladder. An inconsistent low-80s slider hurts him against lefties, but there’s some flashes of promise with its sweep across the zone.

Bennett walked only 4.6 percent of his batters faced over his three seasons in school, and the Nationals are excited to see that level of control translate to the pros. Because he typically lands his pitches so well, the lanky lefty could dominate low-level bats early in his Minor League career and push quickly toward Washington, where he has the potential to be a No. 4 starter.

Scouting grades: Fastball: 50 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 60 | Control: 55 | Overall: 50

Bennett pitched with current top Nationals prospect Cade Cavalli at Bixby (Okla.) High and followed him to Oklahoma after turning down Washington as a 39th-round pick in 2019. They're a contrast in styles, with Cavalli a flame-throwing right-hander and Bennett a polished left-hander. While he didn’t become a first-round pick out of college like Cavalli, Bennett did join him again in the Nats system, this time as a second-rounder who signed for full slot at $1,734,800. 

Bennett is more effective against right-handers than same-side hitters because his 82- to 85-mph changeup is a legitimate plus pitch that tumbles at the plate, and he uses it almost exclusively against righties. Although his four-seam fastball has touched 98 mph, it usually operates at 91-94 with some arm-side run, and he must locate it up in the zone to be effective. He uses a slider with similar velocity to his changeup against left-handers, and it lacks consistency while flashing solid sweep at times. 

At 6-foot-6 and 234 pounds, Bennett is built to be a workhorse starter. He has an easy yet somewhat deceptive delivery that he repeats well, allowing him to pound the strike zone throughout his college career. He stands out more for his floor than his ceiling with a good chance of becoming a No. 4 or 5 starter.

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	11/03/2024	Wilmington Blue Rocks activated LHP Jake Bennett from the 60-day injured list.
	03/20/2024	Wilmington Blue Rocks placed LHP Jake Bennett on the 60-day injured list.
	08/16/2023	Wilmington Blue Rocks activated LHP Jake Bennett.
	08/01/2023	Wilmington Blue Rocks transferred LHP Jake Bennett to the Development List.
	06/02/2023	LHP Jake Bennett assigned to Wilmington Blue Rocks from Fredericksburg Nationals.
	04/06/2023	LHP Jake Bennett assigned to Fredericksburg Nationals from FCL Nationals.
	08/09/2022	LHP Jake Bennett assigned to FCL Nationals.
	08/08/2022	Washington Nationals signed LHP Jake Bennett.
	06/10/2022	College Workout activated LHP Jake Bennett.
	06/10/2022	LHP Jake Bennett assigned to College Workout.
	02/04/2022	LHP Jake Bennett assigned to Oklahoma Sooners.
	02/02/2021	LHP Jake Bennett assigned to Oklahoma Sooners.
	02/02/2021	LHP Jake Bennett assigned to Oklahoma Sooners.
	02/26/2020	LHP Jake Bennett assigned to Oklahoma Sooners.