Nationals Star Prospect Moves Into Top 100 List, Here's Where He Ranks
In this story:
A clear goal of the Washington Nationals after they dismissed longtime executive Mike Rizzo was to rebuild this pipeline.
Interim general manager Mike DeBartolo did a great job ahead of last year's trade deadline to bring tons of young talent into the organization, and new president of baseball operations Paul Toboni was able to augment things further during his first offseason in charge.
The headlining move Toboni made was shipping out ace MacKenzie Gore to the Texas Rangers in exchange for five of their top 30 prospects. The prize of that return package was Gavin Fien, the 12th overall pick of the 2025 draft who is seen as having a high ceiling.
While he immediately slotted into the No. 5 spot in the Nationals' farm system, he wasn't quite considered a top 100 overall prospect by MLB Pipeline. However, that changed recently, and he now is within that coveted top 100 range.
Gavin Fien Ranks No. 98 in Updated Prospect Rankings
Top prospects across the sport will start to shed that status as they accumulate more and more MLB playing time, so there's a chance adjustments are made to the rankings throughout the year. Some might have argued that Fien should have been within the top 100 all along, but now he's officially earned that status during his first full season of professional baseball.
This is going to be an important year for Fien. Following his first-round selection, he didn't have a great showing with the Rangers' Single-A affiliate. He slashed .220/.267/.341 across 10 games with no home runs, three doubles, one triple and seven RBIs. He also picked up an injury that caused him to undergo surgery to remove a bone spur in his hand/wrist.
So far, the 19-year-old hasn't recorded a hit across two games with Single-A Fredericksburg. He's 0-for-8 with a walk, three strikeouts and one RBI. It's still early in his career of course, but it would inspire a ton of confidence if he's able to get things going at the plate early.
Nationals Now Have Five Top 100 Prospects
With the inclusion of Fien into the top 100, the Nationals now have five prospects on that coveted list. That is a great start for the rebuild of this farm system. And while the focus is on creating a deep pipeline full of talented players, it's always a good thing to have high-end talent at the top.
2025 first overall pick Eli Willits is the highest-ranked Washington prospect at No. 10 overall. He'll likely reach even higher once the likes of Konnor Griffin, Kevin McGonigle and JJ Wetherholt lose prospect status.
Following Willits in the rankings is right-handed pitcher Travis Sykora at No. 51. He's recovering from Tommy John surgery, so his standing is based on how incredible the start to his career was. Hopefully he's able to return and be just as effective as he was before.
Catcher Harry Ford comes next at No. 66 followed by right-handed pitcher Jarlin Susana No. 75. Ford began his season with Triple-A Rochester and it's unclear when he's going to get called up to The Show. And Susana is working his way back after undergoing lat surgery last year.
With five top 100 prospects, it's clear there is some elite talent in this pipeline. Now, it will be up to the front office and coaching staff to develop them to reach their ceilings.
Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he worked at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad became the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continued to cover Penn State athletics. Currently, Brad is the Publisher for Washington Nationals On SI and covers multiple teams across the On SI network. He is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, where he and his co-host discuss topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai