Between selecting Eli Willits with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft and dealing former ace MacKenzie Gore for a huge haul in the offseason, the Nationals have stocked up on Minor League talent recently. Now, Willits and Gavin Fien -- a key piece of the Gore trade -- are becoming quite a duo for Single-A Fredericksburg.
Willits (Washington No. 1 prospect and MLB Pipeline’s No. 4 overall) and Fien (Washington No. 7) each homered for Fredericksburg on Wednesday, contributing to a 5-0 win over Hill City at Virginia Credit Union Stadium.
Willits and Fien, Nos. 1 and 2 in the order, got things started right away. Willits led off the bottom of the first inning with a single, and Fien subsequently crushed his second long ball of the year to left field.
Willits then went yard in his second at-bat of the day, going way out to left field for the fifth homer of his campaign. The shortstop finished his day 2-for-4, extending a 12-game hitting streak. He also has 15 RBIs in that stretch, raising his season slash line to .292/.410/.472.
Fien, meanwhile, is heating up after taking some time to get comfortable in his first full professional season. The No. 12 overall pick by the Rangers a year ago, playing center field, finished his day 1-for-3 with a walk. He’s now been on base 11 times in his past five games.
All this on Wednesday additionally came after Willits and Fien combined to deliver a walk-off for Fredericksburg over Hill City on Tuesday. Willits doubled in the ninth, followed by a Fien single that scored two for the win.
COMPLETE NATIONALS PROSPECT COVERAGE
Fien blistered a ground ball toward third base, which deflected off of the defender and into no man’s land, allowing the speedy Willits to score from second despite the ball never leaving the infield.
The pair of 2025 first-rounders has helped give the Nationals one of the more intriguing farm systems across MLB, all while the big league club continues to surprise with a roughly .500 record and the game’s highest-scoring offense.