Generally positive review of the prospects received for Gore from FG's Eric Longenhagen.
https://blogs.fangraphs.com/cherry-blossom-seeds-washington-eyes-rebirth-with-five-prospect-haul-in-gore-trade/Says any one of Fien, Rosario, and Fitz-Gerald could be seen as the headliner in the deal, while both Ortiz and Cabrera are not nothings. Recognizes he's more down on Fien than other evaluators. Says many folks saw him as mid-1st round talent while he had him in the mid 30s in last year's draft.
Fien swings hard, he has impressive power for his age, and he was one of the top performers on the high school showcase circuit, with a 1.045 OPS in events tracked by Synergy Sports from 2023 to 2024. The scouts and clubs who liked Fien the most before the draft considered him a mid-first round prospect, and one of the best couple of high school hitters in the class. I was (and am) personally a fair bit lower on Fien, and had him ranked 34th. The length and awkward look of his swing gave me pre-draft pause about his ability to match pro velocity, and I think Fien’s infield actions will at least force him to third base, if not to right field (where his arm would be weapon). The combination of strikeout risk and a corner fit, at least in my eyes, relegated him more to the comp round despite his power.
The Rosario story is retold how he was one of the top high school pitchers but had a firm commitment to Miami, where he went and stunk. Texas took him late and overhauled his delivery giving him not just great stuff but also great command, making him one of the top pitching prospects before his injury.
The time off obviously creates a great degree of uncertainty about how Rosario will look when he returns, and the mysterious (and understandably private) nature of the issues that contributed to the delay in his TJ are even more difficult to account for when you’re trying to line him up on a prospect list. But his look and performance in 2024 — mid-90s heat and three plus pitches including a potentially elite splitter — reads a lot like Trey Yesavage’s scouting report. This is the player in the deal who I think has the highest individual ceiling.
Fitz-Gerald draws a Jed Lowrie comp. Switch hitter with loft and good bat speed, with a little skepticism about his exceptionally good contact skills that he showed over a small sample at lower levels last year.
Because of the nature of his swing, Fitz-Gerald will likely be vulnerable to elevated pitches as he climbs. He has some feel for getting his hands to those spots, but he hasn’t faced anything close to big league velocity; he might be thriving because he’s a compact, short-levered guy rather than because of actual feel to hit.
Ortiz has less potential but a quick path to the majors as a 1st baseman platoon guy with pop.
Cabrera has some potential as a CF defender with pop.
He’s got a shot to play a role as a whiff-prone, plus-gloved part-time outfielder in a few years.
Suggests we won't really know how these guys are likely to be for 3 years or so. I'd say that's consistent with a time-frame of dealing Abrams and holding Wood for now.
