Nationals' Gavin Fien Sets Spring Breakout RBI Record in Cardinals' 9-8 Win

Twelve months ago, Gavin Fien was a high school senior watching Spring Breakout from the stands while his older brother Dylan suited up for the A's. On Thursday at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in Jupiter, Fla., the Nationals' No. 5 prospect rewrote the event's record book, driving in five runs in a 9-8 loss to the Cardinals to set the single-game Spring Breakout RBI mark.

"I didn't know that I had the record," Fien said. "That's pretty awesome."

Fien finished 3-for-4 with two doubles as the designated hitter, surpassing the previous Spring Breakout record of four RBIs set in 2024 by three separate prospects: Xavier Isaac of the Rays against the Twins, Spencer Jones of the Yankees against the Blue Jays, and Tirso Ornelas of the Padres against the Mariners. His performance arrived in a game already loaded with prospect pedigree, and it did not go unnoticed by his teammates.

"Gavin was a dawg today," said Eli Willits, the Nationals' No. 1 prospect and No. 13 overall per MLB Pipeline.

The opening RBI told the whole story of the day's chemistry. Willits drew a leadoff walk, stole second on the first pitch, and Fien followed by lining a double off Cardinals No. 2 prospect Liam Doyle to score him. It was, almost to the letter, what the two had sketched out together before the game.

"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."

Fien confirmed the moment landed exactly as drawn up. "It happened perfectly. We really did kind of predict it, so it was pretty funny after it happened."

The headliner of the MacKenzie Gore trade also reflected on the full-circle nature of his return to Spring Breakout. "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.

Willits, 18, led off and played shortstop for a Nationals lineup that also featured Ronny Cruz at third base, where the young prospect has turned heads this spring, and hard-throwing righty Davian Garcia on the mound. Seaver King was also part of the Nationals' prospect contingent in Jupiter.

On the Cardinals side, Doyle, the fifth overall pick a year ago, made his appearance on the mound. JJ Wetherholt, St. Louis's No. 1 prospect and No. 5 overall, who is considered a strong candidate to open the regular season on the MLB roster, suited up alongside teenaged catcher Rainiel Rodriguez and Joshua Baez, a top-100 name after his breakout 2025 campaign.

Despite Fien's record afternoon, the Cardinals rallied to take the final score 9-8, denying Washington the win even as their prospect delivered the showcase's most memorable individual performance.

The game ended with a moment that transcended the box score. Willits and Wetherholt swapped jerseys on the field, capping a friendship that began when Willits watched Wetherholt play college ball at West Virginia. The two met in person for the first time ahead of Spring Training in January and have since grown close enough to attend Bible study together every Monday.

"We've become very close," Willits said. "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.