A few days ago, MLB Pipeline updated their top 100 list, and for some reason, Devin Fitz-Gerald did not feature. They must regret that decision right now because the 20 year old Fitz-Gerald has been playing like a no doubt top 100 prospect. In his last 10 games, Fitz-Gerald has 7 home runs for the Wilmington Blue Rocks.
The craziest part is that Fitz-Gerald is not a prospect who is known as a slugger. Fitz-Gerald is known for having a highly polished hit tool as a switch hitting infielder. At 5’10 185 pounds, he does not look like a slugger, but is hitting like one. His strikeout rate is hovering around 15% and he rarely misses in the zone. Fitz-Gerald combines these skills with above average power as well.
Fitz-Gerald’s home run power does not come from crazy strength or elite exit velocities. He is not like his Wilmington teammate Ethan Petry, who looks like your typical power hitter. Instead, Fitz-Gerald specializes at hitting the ball at good angles. He has mastered the art of pulling the ball in the air, which allows him to hit homers with the least amount of resistance.
Advertisement
His elite hit tool and ability to tap into every ounce of his raw power is why Fitz-Gerald is getting comparisons to Kevin McGonigle. That is very lofty praise, but it is something he deserves. McGonigle was one of the best pure hitters the minor leagues has seen in the last decade. We still need to see a bit more from Fitz-Gerald to throw that tag on him, but he is trending in that direction.
The numbers are absolutely insane for him. He is hitting .307 with a 1.073 OPS with 11 homers and 11 stolen bases as a 20 year old in High-A. Just as a reminder, Fitz-Gerald had only played in 10 games above rookie ball before this season. He is one of just four hitters with 10 homers and 10 steals in the minors, and the only one with a strikeout rate under 20%.
I am not sure those stolen base numbers will translate to the big leagues, but that is not the end of the world. The one knock on Fitz-Gerald is that he is not an elite athlete with flashy physical tools. However, he makes up for that with elite baseball instincts that he learned from his father, who is the coach at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, one of the best high school baseball programs in the country.
Advertisement
Those instincts make me believe that Fitz-Gerald could steal 12-15 bases in the big leagues despite only having average speed. Fitz-Gerald’s polished skills are his defining trait as a player. It is why he has a chance to hit 20-25 home runs in the big leagues despite only having average raw power. While Fitz-Gerald does not have the physical tools of a Ronny Cruz, at the end of the day, the numbers do not lie.
Wilmington is usually a very difficult place for batters to hit, but not for Fitz-Gerald. He is making it look easy. Power usually suffers for hitters at Wilmington, but Fitz-Gerald hits the ball at such good angles that he can find the shorter parts of the park. He also has the ability to make a ton of contact.
Another neat thing about Fitz-Gerald is that he is a switch hitter. It seems like players who grow up with fathers that are around the game are inclined to switch hit. Both Fitz-Gerald and Eli Willits grew up around the game and are switch hitters. Fitz-Gerald has been much better from the left side of the plate this season, but he did hit a grand slam as a righty last week.
He is just hitting .188 from the right side, but his OPS is still a solid .722 from that side of the plate. His numbers from the left side are totally absurd. He is hitting .343 with a 1.176 OPS as a lefty. For now, I am not too concerned with his relative struggles from the right side. He does not get as many reps as a righty, and he is still just 20 years old.
Advertisement
While Fitz-Gerald is a bat first prospect, he is not a bad defender either. His lack of elite athleticism or arm strength limits him, but his baseball instincts translate well to the field. He has played 15 games at second base, 9 games at shortstop and 8 games at third base. I think second base is the best fit for him, but Fitz-Gerald has the ability to play all over the infield. That versatility only adds to the Kevin McGonigle comparison.
If you do not have Devin Fitz-Gerald on your top 100 prospect list, you are just wrong. This kind of bat does not come around that often. He has a rare blend of hitting ability, power and patience. His swing is picture perfect and he is crushing baseballs in a pitcher friendly environment. For goodness sakes, he has 8 home runs since May 5th and had a run where he hit 7 in 8 games.
With the way he is playing, Devin Fitz-Gerald is making the MacKenzie Gore trade a win just on his own. However, Fitz-Gerald was not the only exciting piece the Nats got in that deal. Gavin Fien, who was supposed to be the headlining piece, has been out for most of the season, but just returned to the lineup. He also has very exciting traits as a hitter. Fien hit his first home run as a pro the other day.
Advertisement
Yeremy Cabrera has also had a great start to the season. He tore up Low-A before getting promoted to Wilmington, where he is teammates with Fitz-Gerald. Abimelec Ortiz has not put up massive numbers, but his under the hood data has been quite good. Lastly, Alejandro Rosario will not pitch this season, but he did finally get his Tommy John Surgery. The last time we saw Rosario, he looked like an elite pitching prospect in 2024.
Paul Toboni has knocked that trade out of the park, and Devin Fitz-Gerald is the biggest reason why. He looks like one of the best pure hitters in the minor leagues, and was a great scouting job by the new regime. Fitz-Gerald had buzz last year, but got hurt, and only played 10 games above rookie ball. Evaluating him as a piece they needed to have was a great job. We are seeing why Paul Toboni was so high on Devin Fitz-Gerald. The sky is the limit for this kid and a promotion to Double-A feels like it is on the horizon.
Read the full article here