On the road to stardom: Get to know one of baseball’s hottest prospects, Devin Fitz-Gerald
Published by
ryanwmac
on
From a distance, you never fully know what someone is dealing with in their life. While every destination is part of the journey, it can be a long and winding road, even at 20 years of age. One day, you’re in Texas preparing for Spring Training in Arizona, the next day, you are hurried to Florida. Much different than four weeks earlier, when the view was from the interior of a hospital room on Christmas. Life will throw you curveballs when you least expect them. You learn that many things are out of your control, just like that strange phone call on January 22.
The next chapter began with a phone call that would change his employment and his life. These calls can be shocking because they catch you by surprise. It was Josh Bonifay who informed this young man that he had been traded and would head from Texas to West Palm Beach, Florida. Four other members of the Texas Rangers got that same call on the eve of January 22nd as a blockbuster trade was officially announced between the Washington Nationals and the Texas Rangers.
The Nationals dealt their then-ace, MacKenzie Gore, to the Rangers in return for a package of five prospects. While the biggest name in that package was the recent first-round draft pick, Gavin Fien, one of the other names was that 20-year-old by the name of Devin Fitz-Gerald.
For Nationals fans, it was a little bit of a mystery what they were getting with most of that trade package. Fitz-Gerald, a guy who tore up rookie ball in the Arizona Complex League during the 2025 season before being promoted to Single-A, had his season end in an instant after suffering a shoulder injury that would end his season after just 10 games there.
Before all of that, Fitz-Gerald was a fifth-round pick in the 2024 draft out of Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. The Texas Rangers liked what they saw in Fitz-Gerald — enough to use the draft pick on him, and eventually offer him a $900,000 contract, a number that was nearly double what a fifth-round pick would normally get in their slot value. Hank Sargent, from The Wasserman Group (now known as The Team), is his agent and advisor.
A signing bonus number that high was necessary to compete with Devin’s other option, a college commitment to NC State to play baseball for Elliott Avent, one of the longest-tenured and most well-respected college coaches in the country. A route that Trea Turner once took more than a decade earlier, as another South Florida middle infielder. Certainly, Avent told that story about how Turner was drafted in a later round and chose NC State and turned himself into a first-rounder… who was eventually traded to the Washington Nationals and became a superstar. Nevertheless, Fitz-Gerald bet on pro ball and signed with Texas. We’re going to get an inside look at just how much that gamble has paid off.
The Beginnings
Stoneman Douglas High School has been a baseball powerhouse for years. This past week, they just won their sixth consecutive championship in Florida. If you look at the man at the helm, you might catch a familiar last name….Fitz-Gerald. You got it. Todd Fitz-Gerald has been the head coach of Stoneman Douglas’ baseball team for the past 16 seasons. Families move to the Stoneman Douglas school district just for the chance to make his team.
During his tenure, Todd has coached numerous players who have gone on to play professional ball, including names like Roman Anthony, Jesus Luzardo, Coby Mayo, Devin’s older brother, Hunter, and now Todd’s youngest son, Devin, has joined that group. Todd’s newest prodigy is Gio Rojas, a consensus first-round pitcher who could be available when the Nats choose 11th in the first round in July.
“He’s been my coach my whole life, since I was 2-3 years old. Ever since I started playing baseball, he’s been the coach. But he’s always been my role model, he’s the guy that’s made me who I am on and off the field today.”
— Devin told me in this exclusive interview about the role his dad has played in his baseball journey
As hard as it has to be for an 18-year-old kid to navigate the MLB Draft process, having an older brother and future big leaguers like Mayo in your circle can really be a comfort. Hunter Fitz-Gerald was drafted in 2019 by the Colorado Rockies and is currently in the Seattle Mariners organization. As the first of the brothers to go through the draft process, he was able to be an asset for Devin during the 2024 draft process, helping him navigate the ins and outs of Major League Baseball’s first step, alongside other Stoneman Douglas alums like Mayo.
“I think the biggest thing they did for me was just give me advice and really just being role models. They were telling me what to look for and just what the days and lives of pro ball look like. It was really good to lean on them for advice and just to learn more about the game.”
— Devin on Hunter and Coby’s help during the draft process
The scouting reports on Fitz-Gerald out of high school weren’t all gushing; some scouts knocked his power and speed when evaluating him out of high school. Others just sized him up as too small. Turner had those same issues in high school, except he had exceptional speed. One of Devin’s strengths, noted by his dad and many who have watched him play, is his fearlessness and his habit of playing above his size.
Competitiveness, drive, and toughness are traits that are essential to having success at any level of baseball, but their presence in Devin’s game has been what’s set him apart since high school and has been a key factor in the success he’s having in the minor leagues right now.
“His IQ and his work ethic really set him apart. He was always undersized, but played bigger than he was. He never shied away from competition and always wanted to be the kid in practice that stepped in and battled against the best pitching.”
— said Todd Fitz-Gerald on what set Devin apart
The Fitz-Gerald family members weren’t the only ones who saw the early signs of what could be a great player. Devin’s current manager in High-A Wilmington, Ted Tom, was a coach at UCF (University of Central Florida) during Devin’s high school career, and even recruited him out of high school. He says very similar things to what Todd Fitz-Gerald said when asked about what made Devin stand out as a high schooler.
“I saw him as a ninth grader; he had advanced defensive actions for his age. Had a knack for finding the barrel. I already had a relationship with his father, knew he would have a high baseball IQ, with knowing how to win in his blood.”
— said Ted Tom on what made Fitz-Gerald stand out
With all this talk about his size and what scouts thought he might lack, it’s important to note that he stands 5’10” tall, the same size as Alex Bregman, and one inch taller than Kevin McGonigle, two of the best infielders in the game at the major league level.
It also just so happens that those two are often mentioned in discussions about major league comparisons for Devin Fitz-Gerald. People often gloss over pro comps and other projections like it, but for a kid who hasn’t played a game above High-A ball to already be compared to guys of their caliber, it says a lot.
“It’s just an honor. I grew up always trying to be myself. Obviously, the player comps are good, but I think everyone’s their own person, and you have to look at everyone from a different standpoint.”
-Devin on being compared to guys like Bregman and McGonigle
The 2024 draft for Fitz-Gerald was one of the biggest decisions he will ever have to make; the choice between going pro right out of high school or playing in college at NC State first. Decisions of that magnitude are ones that require a great support system to guide, inform, and aid a kid in making a decision like that.
On top of the support he received from his older brother, Devin was given excellent guidance, yet plenty of leeway, from his parents, Todd and Colleen, who ultimately allowed him to make this choice himself.
“We wanted him to go to [college], and felt like going to NC State would have given him a really good education and improved where he went in the draft [after college]. Towards the back-end of his senior year, we started hearing some talk about him going in the top three rounds. His brother being in the Mariners’ system gave him an example of what the draft process looked like, and from there, we left it up to him. We had him give us a number; he gave us the amount he wanted, and sure enough, the Rangers hit that. He made his decision, and we let him do it.”
–Todd Fitz-Gerald on the draft decision
The New Guy
So after playing 31 games in rookie ball last season, and just 10 in Single-A in the Rangers’ organization before being shut down by that shoulder injury, Fitz-Gerald went into his first big league offseason with a lot of question marks. What was already a new experience for the kid only got more chaotic when he got that call from the Rangers’ Director of Player Development, Bonifay, on that day in January.
“Yeah, the trade was shocking. I was actually in Arlington (Texas) when it happened. They called me and told me that I was getting traded. The Rangers called me out of a meeting, and I was just shocked. They put me on a flight back, and I got in touch with Paul Toboni and Devin Pearson with the Nationals. They just told me how excited they were to have me, and it’s been awesome since.”
— Fitz-Gerald on the trade
Fitz-Gerald entered the Nationals’ organization as the tenth-ranked prospect in their farm system according to MLB.com’s rankings. The hype around him really began this past March at MLB’s Spring Breakout event, where every club fielded a team made up of most of their best minor league prospects, and they all got to play a game. In that game, Fitz-Gerald came off the bench and smacked a single in his one plate appearance, but then made the highlight reel with an awesome defensive play in the field.
“It was great, really a good experience. I didn’t get to play last year because I was hurt in Spring Training with the Rangers, but it’s just cool to play out there and be around a lot of talent, and the energy there was good. We had a lot of great guys on our team, and it was a really fun experience overall.”
— said Fitz-Gerald on the Spring Breakout game
The coolest part of the Spring Breakout game for Nationals fans, and really what they’re designed to do, was the opportunity to see some of the biggest pieces of the team’s future all on the field together. We got to see Eli Willits (the Nats’ top prospect), Ronny Cruz (Nats’ #4 prospect), and Gavin Fien (Nats’ #6 ranked prospect) all share the field with Fitz-Gerald and other potential big league pieces like Angel Feliz.
The part of this event that may get overlooked is the experience it gives the players too, the opportunity to look at the guys next to you and dream about what could be. It would be hard not to be Fitz-Gerald playing next to Willits and those guys and not visualizing all of them forming the infield at Nationals Park one day.
“
Yeah, that would be sick. I got to get close to Eli, and then Fien and I were already close, and we hung out almost every other day in the spring, and it was great to build a bond with them and just talk about baseball.”
— Fitz-Gerald on the thought of playing in the bigs with Willits and Fien
Heating Up
Fitz-Gerald was assigned to High-A Wilmington straight out of Spring Training this season, despite only playing those 10 games at the Low-A level before this year. While some were concerned about the Wilmington reputation as a tough hitters park, that call by the Nats’ front office proved to be a good one, and a testament to the first impression that Devin must have made on the organization this spring, as they promoted him over guys like Eli Willits, Gavin Fien, Luke Dickerson, and Ronny Cruz (who has since joined Fitz-Gerald in Wilmington). At the time I’m writing this, Fitz-Gerald has played 40 games in High-A so far this season, playing for Ted Tom, and has absolutely tormented the South Atlantic League’s pitching.
“I’m very fortunate to get to see the 20-year-old version of him. He’s just scratching the surface of what he can do. Our main goals are to assist him and all of our players with training consistent habits that will not only play over the course of a 130+ game schedule, but will be the foundation for him moving forward as he navigates his career.”
— Ted Tom on the opportunity to coach Devin at this stage of his career
In his first 40 games at the High-A level, Fitz-Gerald is batting .299 with a ridiculous 11 home runs, 11 doubles, three triples, and an OPS over 1.000. Of those 11 homers, five have been lead-off blasts to start the game. The tough conditions in Wilmington have robbed him of at least one homer, maybe more. Another amazing stat is that he walks at about the same pace as his strikeouts, which in today’s game is just unheard of.
— Nationals Player Development (@Nats_PlayerDev) May 16, 2026
Most recently, he’s coming off a freakish week of hitting on the road in Winston-Salem, where over a five-game stretch, he went 8-22 with five home runs, a double, and 10 RBIs. His current manager, Ted Tom, was right when he said that Devin is just scratching the surface of what he can be. Fitz-Gerald is a switch-hitter, a natural lefty, but has begun to see some success from the right side after a slow start to the season against left-handed pitching. He even hit two homers right-handed this past week, including a grand slam. He then followed it up the next week by capping off the series against Jersey Shore with a walk-off double.
“I’ve really just been working on seeing it. We’ve been working really hard in the batting cage, the hitting coach and I, on right-handed hitting. I’m a natural left-handed hitter, and obviously, I get a lot more at-bats facing righties, but it’s really good for me now to start seeing some success batting right-handed.”
— Devin on his recent success from both sides
While that is a really good sign for Fitz-Gerald and the Nationals, I’m sure the sight of him getting his right-handed swing figured out more and more is absolutely terrifying for these pitching staffs that are having to face him.
One opponent that recently faced him talked about the challenge he poses for a pitching staff and how their game plan had to adapt as the week went on against him.
“He is a tough hitter, and he has a great approach at such a young age. Early in the week that we faced him, it was attack with everything, and by the end of the week, it was as much off-speed chase stuff as you could give him. I think he has a bright future in the game and is a great opponent.”
— said a High-A opponent of Fitz-Gerald who spoke to us on the condition of anonymity
One thing that has to stand out about that is the last part, a testament, not to Devin Fitz-Gerald the baseball player, but Devin Fitz-Gerald the person. In a humble spirit that was reverberated throughout my time around him, as well as my opportunity to speak with his dad, Todd, Devin does not see himself as anything more than a man, a follower of Jesus, and a son. Even when given the opportunity to marvel at his great on-field success, Devin chooses instead to keep an eye on the big picture and keep his sights set on his future aspirations. He did just that when I asked him what he thought about recently being added to Baseball America’s Top-100 prospects list.
“I think it’s a good honor to have, but being a prospect and being Top-100 doesn’t mean everything. At the end of the day, I’m just trying to go out there and play the game, and while those accolades are nice to have, the biggest thing is you just wanna get to the big leagues one day.”
— Fitz-Gerald on being recognized by Baseball America
Todd Fitz-Gerald spoke with great joy in his voice about how cool it’s been to watch his son succeed at the level he’s been at. As one of the top prep coaches in the country, it has to be hard to find the time to keep up with a six-game schedule for your kid every single week, but Todd and his staff at Stoneman Douglas take great pride in keeping tabs on Devin’s games as well as all of their former players. Todd especially spoke with great pride and admiration about his son defying what the scouts originally said about him, and clearly loves that Devin is blocking all of that out and is sticking to being himself and not trying to be someone else.
“We watch his games during our games. It’s really surreal and comical. When they wrote his scouting report, he had below-average power, but he just plays bigger than what he is, and he’s just so intelligent.”
— Todd Fitz-Gerald about the joys of watching Devin succeed
The Bigger Things In Life
More importantly than any baseball accolade that one can accomplish is the way you go about doing it, the things that you prioritize, and the people you lift up along the way. For Devin Fitz-Gerald, there is so much more to it than just that. His faith and his trust in Jesus, as well as his commitment to make that a part of his week, even during the season, are another testament to the humility with which he goes about his career. When I had the opportunity to talk to him about it, it was clear that he understood that no matter the level or the stakes, there will always be a greater cause than baseball.
“A couple of guys here we do Bible study every week together, and it’s just been awesome to see what we can learn by just talking to each other about Jesus and how there are bigger things in life than baseball. Baseball is what we do, it’s not who we are.”
— Devin on his faith
One aspect of life as an athlete, and anyone else for that matter, is the reality and the hardships that will come as a part of life. They come differently and at different stages of life for everyone, and right now, the Fitz-Gerald family is in the midst of hardship. Few people watching the games would have any inkling of what is going on behind-the-scenes.
That will never show up in a box score or in a game, but the reality is that when the last pitch is thrown every single day, Devin and his family are still battling.
It was a seemingly normal day in the Fitz-Gerald home last November 23rd, when Colleen, Devin’s mom and the rock of the family, lay down to take what seemed to be just a regular nap. That nap came out of the ordinary when she suffered a severe seizure upon waking up, and was rushed to the hospital to try and find out why that could have happened.
The news took a turn for the worse after tests and scans came back, revealing two tumors that were found in her brain. She was required to have brain surgery done, as well as a biopsy, as the doctors tried to remove some of the tumor. The surgery went well, and she was released back home, where she was cared for by her family while she began to show steady improvement. A month later, on Christmas day of all days, a day meant for joy and peace and celebration, things hit an all-time low, as the family was forced to call 911 to come and check on her, as she was clearly not doing well. She was rushed to the hospital, and as everyone gathered in the hospital to hear the reports, they received the gut-wrenching news that Colleen had swelling in her brain that had increased, and the news of her brain cancer diagnosis was devastating for the whole family. They’re still getting used to the new “normal,” as she is being closely monitored and has a whole community behind her providing support.
“She’s got a lot of support in their community, she’s a fighter, and she’s the strongest woman I know. I get to call her every day and talk to her, and she’s battling. But we’ve got so many people around her, and a lot of people reaching out to me every day asking how I’m doing, and it’s good to talk with a lot of our staff here, but I just love her, and she’s the best.”
— Devin about his mom and what he wants everyone to know
Colleen Fitz-Gerald’s battle is a glimpse into what she is going through as well as her family. Both of her sons are in distant cities playing baseball, and her husband’s job just had him traveling on the other coast of Florida for the state High School championship. Devin, a 20-year-old kid, has bigger issues than having a 0-fer game. His mom’s health puts everything in the proper perspective.
What we can all take away from his story is the grace and the humility with which he’s handling all of it. A son, a brother, a constant professional, a fierce competitor, a great teammate, and a better person, Devin Fitz-Gerald is one of the hottest prospects in all of baseball, and just remember, when he has a tough day, he deserves a pass. As far as baseball goes, yes, he is someone to keep an eye on, as hopefully, he is a huge piece of the future for the Washington Nationals.
As I wrap this article up, I want to challenge you all to join arms with Devin and the Fitz-Gerald family, and to lift up Colleen in your thoughts and prayers as she continues to fight this incredible battle. I want to further challenge you all to visit the link I’m going to place at the bottom of this paragraph, a link to the GoFundMe that’s been organized to support Colleen and the family. I challenge you all to give, to lock arms in support, and to consider for yourselves the things in life that truly are bigger than baseball.
Leave a Reply