0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 55 | Run: 50 | Arm: 55 | Field: 50 | Overall: 50After Fien starred on the showcase circuit last summer, winning MVP honors at MLB's High School All-American Game and leading the U.S. 18-and-under national team in slugging (.680), many evaluators considered him the best bat in the 2025 high school class. While he wasn't as consistent as a California high school senior, his offensive upside still landed him a $4.8 million bonus as the 12th overall pick by the Rangers. His older brother Dylan is a catcher in the Athletics system.Though Fien has an unorthodox setup in which he holds his hands higher than most hitters, that doesn't prevent him from doing damage. He has a patient approach and a quick right-handed stroke that allowed him to repeatedly barrel up top competition as an amateur. He's continuing to add muscle to his 6-foot-3 frame and has shown the aptitude to drive the ball in the air, allowing him to get to much of his plus raw power.Fien also has gotten quicker as he has gotten stronger, though he still won't be more than an average runner and could lose a step as he fills out more. Though he was drafted as a shortstop, he profiles better as a third baseman and could be a solid defender at the hot corner. He played first base for Team USA and his strong arm would fit in right field.
Fien was the 12th overall pick in the 2025 draft, lauded for his advanced offensive ability and remaining projection. As an amateur, he was as decorated as they come and was a staple of USA Baseball’s national teams. He owns a short, quick swing and a sharp eye that allows him to contact and impact a variety of pitch types while limiting his strikeouts. These gifts give him a ceiling as a potentially above-average hitter with 55-grade power as well. Defensively, he’s probably a safe bet to move off shortstop thanks to his size and remaining growth potential. His arm is strong enough to handle third base, and his offensive tools would help him profile there as well. He’s a below-average runner and should be a fringy defender no matter where he lands.
As an amateur, Fien was the star hitter on the showcase circuit in summer and fall 2024, making hard contact and showing excellent plate discipline against the best pitchers in the class. He had a down spring, however, possibly because of “draftitis” (industry jargon for a player who presses with the draft coming up), allowing the Rangers to grab him with the 12th pick.I love his swing, and I believe the 2024 version is the real guy, a hitter who stays in the zone and hits a lot of hard line drives. He projects to plus power in time, with the swing path to put the ball in the seats 20 times a year or more, and he should be a solid hitter across the board who gets on base, as well. He’s not going to stay at shortstop, with a 70 arm that will help him move to third base or, at worst, right field.
Sounds like our future 3B
If we think House is the 3B of the future, and profiles to have the better glove, maybe they should just start teaching Fien to play 1B now?
Fien was the best high school hitter in the 2025 draft class going into the spring, hitting well in every way against the best pitching in the class in the summer and fall of 2024, but he didn’t hit nearly as well in his senior year and slid to the Rangers at the No. 12 pick. I think he's a star, as Fien has a fantastic swing and an advanced approach already, rarely chasing pitches outside of the zone and showing strong feel for contact even in his senior year. He accelerates his hands well and gets the ball in the air quite a bit, just getting some more length to the ball last spring, which messed with his timing and cost him some contact quality. He projects to plus power, already showing at least above-average power as an amateur, and should be a 20-homer guy with high batting averages if the Nationals (who acquired Fien in the MacKenzie Gore deal with Texas) just get him back to where he was in 2024. He’s a shortstop now but won’t stay there for long, probably settling in at third base thanks to his 70 arm, with a chance to be a plus defender there. I’m a big believer in his bat and buy his results against better pitching from the previous year.
Law has him as a bat first second baseman. That's.... not great
Pronounced "Feen" not "Fine," right?
Washington didn’t necessarily pick up a Top 100 prospect in last week’s MacKenzie Gore blockbuster, but it did get someone close to that status in Fien, the 12th overall pick in last year’s Draft. The California native has a quick right-handed swing that helps him catch up to fastballs, and he has some thunder in there too with plus raw power in his 6-foot-3 frame. He may profile best as a third baseman, but that’s fine with top overall pick Eli Willits already in the system.
From a model-driven perspective, Fien checks several of the most important boxes teams look for when projecting long-term offensive upside.The foundation of his profile starts with elite bat speed, where Fien grades in the 97th percentile. Bat speed is one of the most stable offensive traits we have, and modern draft models tend to treat it as a proxy for power ceiling, not just present-day production. It’s a skill that cannot be taught — only optimized.What separates Fien from many other high-batspeed amateurs is his ability to actually connect. He posted 81st percentile contact rates, both overall and on pitches in the strike zone. That pairing — rare bat speed combined with above-average contact ability — is exactly the type of profile draft models gravitate toward. It suggests a hitter who can survive velocity and spin even before mechanical refinement takes place....There are also flashes of real power output already present. Fien has registered a 109 mph max exit velocity, confirming that his bat speed translates into force, not just quick hands. That kind of max output, even if the quality of contact is suspect, serves as evidence that the tools at present are plus and coupled with his age make him a “data darling” among the prep ranks.Finally, despite a swing that is still evolving, Fien rarely gave away plate appearances. He ranked in the 90th percentile in strikeout rate, an important indicator of bat-to-ball skill and adaptability. Even when things weren’t perfectly synced, Fien showed an ability to compete and keep the ball in play. This “feel for the barrel” and ability to spoil pitches will help maximize his on-base profile while the swing comes along. This floor raising element to his game along with his immense power ceiling paints a very rosy profile for the Nationals new prized prospect.
https://www.justbaseball.com/prospects/why-model-driven-teams-love-gavin-fien/He's been playing some 3rd alongside Willits who has been at SS. If they both start at Fredericksburg, will Fien man third and does that mean the Nats have already made the move to get him off SS?
I watched the first two doubles & 4 RBI. Legit.What the broadcasters (Sam Dykstra from MLB.com) said that, by rep, Willits is hit over power and Fien power over hit. Willits looked very disciplined. I won't even say "for an 18 year old."
Starting in RF tonight for the FredNats.
I'm assuming he's injured? Only played 4 games while team has played 10.
