Nationals Seem to Have Picked What Position Gavin Fien Will Play Going Forward

Gavin Fien seems to have his long-term position figured out with the Washington Nationals.

Washington Nationals president of baseball operations Paul Toboni | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

There is a lot of excitement surrounding the lower levels of the Washington Nationals' pipeline.

After trading away MacKenzie Gore to the Texas Rangers for a monster return package of their top 30 prospects, the Nationals got an instant boost down on the farm. That was headlined by Gavin Fien -- the 12th overall pick of the 2025 draft -- coming to the nation's capital.

When acquired, there was some question as to what position the 18-year-old slugger would play going forward. At his age, organizations normally like to keep athletic infielders at shortstop to see if they can stick there for the long haul. However, it seems like Washington has already decided they are going to primarily use him at third base.

Nationals Primarily Using Gavin Fien at Third Base

Gavin Fien of the Texas Rangers | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

"Right now, I'm playing third. So I'm just a third baseman with a lot of confidence in his bat, kind of good contact rates, good power," Fien stated, per Jessica Camerato of MLB.com.

That makes the most sense. Standing at 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds at his age already, many scouts already viewed him as a third baseman coming out the draft. But his athleticism allowed him to play shortstop coming up the prep ranks, which made him such a highly-touted prospect.

Fien and Nationals No. 1 overall pick of the 2025 draft Eli Willits have familiarity with each other from their time in USA Baseball. And now, the two top five-ranked prospects in Washington's pipeline are furthering their relationship during workouts during spring camp.

"It's pretty awesome," Fien said. "We're taking grounders at short and third right now ... training together, hitting in the same group, being able to push each other, too. I can take stuff from his game, maybe he can take stuff from mine. To have that level of talent that you can train with, I think it only enhances you and makes you better."

Nationals Excited to Have Gavin Fien in Their Organization

Washington Nationals manager Blake Butera | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

It normally goes without saying that teams are excited to bring in anyone they acquire in a massive trade. But for a young player who was just drafted by his previous organization before being dealt, sometimes that change can mess with their head.

That's why the Nationals have made Fien as comfortable as possible since coming over to their franchise, as he departed Southern California in late-January following the Gore trade and flew to West Palm to begin life with his new team.

"I told Gavin, we're so fired up to have him here. When you get traded – especially at that young an age – your head can spin a little bit, and you can start to think, 'Man, they didn't want me. That's why I got traded.' I just kept telling him, 'We really wanted you, and we're so happy you're here.' So just making sure he understands that," manager Blake Butera stated, per Camerato.

Gavin Fien takes batting practice at Globe Life Field (feat. Rowdy Tellez walking through the shot). pic.twitter.com/ia0kBmeHAl

— Shawn McFarland (@McFarland_Shawn) July 22, 2025

Fien finished his shortened 2025 campaign following the draft with a .220/.267/.341 slash line, no home runs, three doubles, one triple and seven RBIs with 11 strikeouts and three walks across 10 games. Those weren't the type of numbers many expected to see out of the slugger, but he also dealt with a bone spur in his right hand that caused him to undergo surgery in November.

Now healthy once again, the 18-year-old is ready to show what he can do with Washington. And it seems like the team already has a defensive position in mind for him as he climbs his way up the ranks.