SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. –- Jorgelys Mota knows a thing or two about making a loud first impression. The Nationals prospect opened eyes across the organization when he demolished a 115 mph, 434-foot tape-measure shot during Grapefruit League action on Feb. 21, the hardest-hit and farthest home run hit by the club all spring.
His first at-bat in the Arizona Fall League upped the ante.
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The 21-year-old demolished a slider from left-hander Justin Lamkin (KC No. 8), sending it far up onto the left-field berm at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick as part of the Rafters’ 7-2 win over the Surprise Saguaros on Tuesday afternoon. It came off the bat at 114.2 mph and traveled 455 feet, a distance that only Andrés Chaparro (July 17) exceeded among big league Nationals during the 2026 regular season.
It marked Mota’s first at-bat in a competitive environment since Aug. 25 and featured an 81.7 mph swing, a glimpse into the elite bat speed possessed by the Dominican Republic native. (Any swing at 75+ mph or higher is considered a “fast” swing.)
“I didn’t feel anything [off the bat],” Mota said through teammate Demetrio Crisantes (AZ No. 1/MLB No. 84), who served as his interpreter. “Perfect-perfect.”
Top-tier exit velocities aren’t new for Mota. During his brief five-game rehab stint in the Rookie-level Florida Complex League in June, he mashed a homer at 115.9 mph and added a single at 113. Even the out he put in play Tuesday was hard-hit, a 106.3 mph grounder to second base.
As something of a tradeoff, there’s always been a significant amount of swing-and-miss to Mota’s game. He has struck out in 32.2 percent of his pro plate appearances, although his walk rate began to tick up this season to a career-high 12.9 percent.
A big reason for Mota’s presence in the Fall League is to make up for lost time from the regular season caused by persistent hamstring issues. He got into five games for High-A Wilmington to open the year before being shut down for two months. After three weeks of rehab games in Rookie ball and with Single-A Fredericksburg, he returned to High-A only to miss multiple weeks on two separate occasions down the stretch.
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All told, he produced a .395 on-base percentage and a .769 OPS with 13 steals in 36 games, but 99 total at-bats in a season isn’t conducive to the development the Nationals are hoping to see from Mota's raw tools.
His time in the Fall League will also serve as a six-week boot camp on learning more about manning center field.
Mota played third base almost exclusively through his first three pro campaigns but the organization began to get him reps in center this year with 21 of his 33 defensive starts coming at the premium spot on the grass. At 6-foot-3 and 170 pounds, Mota has the long strides to cover ground from gap-to-gap, something Salt River manager Ted Tom witnessed firsthand this season as Wilmington’s manager.
“He's a tool shed,” the skipper said. “He can really run. He can really throw. Moving him from third base to the outfield just allows him to be a thoroughbred out there and to utilize all of his athleticism and just go run down the ball.”
Mota admitted covering all that ground is the hardest part of his transition as opposed to the quick reactions required by an infielder on the left side. But considering he’s still a relative novice at a notoriously difficult position to learn on the fly, he’s felt buoyed by his progress to this point.
“I was excited, I was happy,” said Mota of his reaction to the positional change. “I feel like I’m very athletic to play center field. I’ve still got work to do, but I’m going to get there.”