The Texas Rangers made a bold move Sunday by selecting high school shortstop Gavin Fien with the 12th overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft.
The Rangers have favored collegiate talent in recent years but seemingly shifted their approach to tap into a deep pool of shortstops, making Fien their first high school first-rounder since 2018.
The 18-year-old was a star shortstop at Great Oak High School in Temecula, California, and is currently committed to play baseball at the University of Texas.
Fien’s high school numbers turned heads, as he posted a career batting average of .378 over four varsity seasons, with 12 home runs, 29 doubles, and 65 RBIs in 91 games, per Fox 4.
During his senior year, Fien managed to hit .358 with five home runs and eight stolen bases, drawing more walks (11) than strikeouts (9) across the 30 games that he played.
Rangers director of amateur scouting Kip Fagg said after the selection that there are “a lot of good players in this Draft,” noting that the franchise is comfortable with the selection of the high school player.
“Picking 12, you have access to some really good ones. Through extensive work with our staff, we felt very comfortable with Gavin versus most of these players in this Draft. We were excited to be able to access a player of this caliber,” he explained, per The MLB.
The 6-foot-3, 200-pound right-hander also excelled on the national stage, helping the USA Baseball 18U National Team to a gold medal at the 2024 WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup Americas Qualifier.
Fien contributed 11 RBIs while hitting .400 with an on-base percentage of .429 and a slugging percentage of .680 during his eight games.
These performances, along with the “extensive history” that he has with the Rangers, played a role in the team’s choosing to select him in the first round of the Draft.
“He’s a Team USA player, one of the better performers on the summer circuit, and I think this guy’s a plus-power, plus-hit player. We’re excited about the offensive potential and the defensive player. …He was up there with the elite guys in this Draft, for me and our group. We thought we got one of the better bats in this Draft,” Fagg said, per The MLB.
Fien’s selection marks the highest draft pick in Great Oak High School history and adds to an impressive list of program alums, with 11 players, including Gavin’s brother Dylan, being selected at some point in the history of the MLB Draft.