JUPITER, Fla. -- This time last year, Gavin Fien was a senior in high school sitting in the stands watching his older brother, Dylan, play for the A’s in their Spring Breakout game. On Thursday, he was on the field setting the record for most RBIs in that very showcase.
“I didn’t know that I had the record,” Fien said. “That’s pretty awesome.”
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Fien, the Nationals' No. 5 prospect, drove in five runs in a 9-8 loss to the Cardinals. He went 3-for-4 on the day -- including two doubles -- as the designated hitter.
“Gavin was a dawg today,” said Eli Willits, who MLB Pipeline ranks as the Nationals' No. 1 prospect and No. 13 overall.
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Fien’s first RBI was a line-drive double off Cardinals No. 2 prospect Liam Doyle to drive in Willits, who drew a leadoff walk and stole second base to get into scoring position.
Just like they had talked about.
“I told him in the cage, 'If I get on, I’m stealing [on the] first pitch and you better hit a double to score me,'” Willits said. “Literally, we couldn’t have scripted it any better to happen.”
Smiled Fien, “It happened perfectly. We really did kind of predict it, so it was pretty funny after it happened.”
Fien surpassed the previous Spring Breakout record of four RBIs, set by a trio of prospects in 2024: the Rays' Xavier Isaac (vs. Twins), the Yankees' Spencer Jones (vs. Blue Jays) and the Padres' Tirso Ornelas (vs. Mariners).
“To see the game last year -- it was Nick Kurtz against Leo De Vries -- it was pretty sweet to play in it and have the game that I did,” Fien said.
Top infield prospects swap jerseys
Willits, 18, had watched Wetherholt, 23, play college ball at West Virginia. They met in person ahead of Spring Training in January and they have formed a strong friendship, even attending Bible study together every Monday.
“We’ve become very close,” said Willits. “Just to watch what he does on the field every day and then get to swap jerseys with him at the end, it’s pretty cool. I was excited to hear that when they told me.”
Sime Jr. consistently clocks triple digits
Flame-throwing 18-year-old right-hander Miguel Sime Jr. (Nationals' No. 16 prospect) delivered a pitch with such electricity that Wetherholt’s helmet fell off as he attempted to make contact with the 100.8 mph fastball. Sime hurled nine of his 21 pitches harder than 100 mph. Click here to read the full story.
Garcia gets the nod as Spring Breakout starter
Right-hander Davian Garcia didn’t see it coming. When the Nationals informed him he was selected to start the Spring Breakout game, the 2024 sixth-round Draft pick was "genuinely, very surprised.”
Garcia, 22, pitched one scoreless inning, allowing one hit, one walk and one hit-by-pitch with two strikeouts.
“I definitely did black out for a second there,” Garcia said with a laugh, adding, “I’ll be honest, it was nerve-wracking. But I had a blast. It’s awesome to be playing with a bunch of prospects and a bunch of people that are going to be the future of [their organizations].”
Garcia's fastest pitch of the day -- a 98.4 mph four-seamer -- caught Cardinals' No. 6 prospect Leo Bernal swinging for the punchout.
“He's throwing harder, his slider keeps improving, he's throwing strikes,” said assistant general manager Devin Pearson. “He's taken off. Hopefully, he can carry it throughout the spring.”
Last season, Garcia advanced from Single-A Fredericksburg to High-A Wilmington, going a combined 5-6 with a 3.47 ERA in 20 starts and two appearances out of the bullpen. Garcia grew up in Tampa and played college baseball at Florida Gulf Coast University, making the Spring Breakout a driveable event.
“My parents came,” Garcia said. “It’s been a while since I’ve been able to pitch in front of them, so it’s always nice to be able to be around family.”
Champion Parra manages Spring Breakout
Fresh off winning the World Baseball Classic as the first-base coach for Team Venezuela, Gerardo Parra got to be the manager for the Nationals' Spring Breakout team.
“I was like, ‘Oh sweet!’” Nationals manager Blake Butera said when he found out. “I’m happy for him. I think it's a cool opportunity, especially after the WBC. It’s great.”
Parra, a member of the 2019 World Series team, was named player development advisor for the Nats this season.