Prominent Analyst Raves About New Nationals Prospect, Believes 'He's a Star'

The Washington Nationals could have a star on their hands.

Dark blue Washington Nationals hat on top of a black mitt | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Washington Nationals moved their best trade chip this winter when they sent MacKenzie Gore to the Texas Rangers.

That was a move that seemed destined to happen. Immediately once the offseason began, there was speculation that new president of baseball operations Paul Toboni could look to deal his ace to boost this farm system by getting back a slew of prospects. And that's exactly what he did.

The Nationals acquired five high-upside minor leaguers from the Rangers. But the headliner from that deal was Gavin Fien, the first-round pick of Texas in the 2025 draft who was selected 12th overall out of high school.

Because Fien was the prized return, all eyes will be on how he develops. But thankfully for Washington and their fans, prominent analyst Keith Law is a fan of the 18-year-old and thinks he could become a franchise cornerstone.

Keith Law Believes Gavin Fien Has Star Potential

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

"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 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 recent MacKenzie Gore deal with Texas) just get him back to where he was in 2024," Law wrote for The Athletic (subscription required).

That should make this fanbase excited about what Fien can turn into by the time he's a major leaguer. One of the clear needs in this organization was finding the next wave of talent to pair with the current crop of big leaguers like James Wood, Dylan Crews and Daylen Lile. And Fien could be exactly that.

"Welcome to professional baseball, Gavin Fien!"

The @Rangers' 2025 first-round pick (No. 12 overall) drills an RBI triple in his first AB for the Single-A @HickoryCrawdads: pic.twitter.com/m7ZedtXPEh

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) August 23, 2025

If he lives up to his potential and reaches his ceiling, then the Nationals will have another young star on their hands. But the question of where he will play in the field is something that hasn't quite been figured out yet.

Despite selecting Eli Willits No. 1 overall in the 2025 draft, many analysts believe there's a chance Fien is the long-term option for Washington at shortstop instead of Willits. However, Law isn't sold on that and thinks third base is where Fien will slot into as he gets older.

"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," he wrote.

Fien was always going to be someone to keep an eye on after the Gore trade. But following this high praise from Law -- where he ranked the talented youngster as the second-best prospect in Washington's pipeline -- the expectations are even higher for what Fien could become.