Nationals' Jackson Kent: Velocity jump at Double-A
Kent has seen his velocity jump significantly this season, Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic reports.
An unheralded left-hander taken in the fourth round of the 2024 draft, Kent struggled to a 5.59 ERA in six starts last season with Double-A Harrisburg as his pitchability couldn't make up for a mediocre fastball in the low 90s. This year in a return to Double-A, the 23-year-old is popping 95 mph, and the result has been a 3.14 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 20:4 K:BB in his first 14.1 innings. Kent has a long way to go to get on the prospect radar, but he flashes a plus changeup and has elite extension along with a couple of work-in-progress breaking pitches, so the foundation is there for a big-league arsenal if his development curve continues pointing up.
