Nationals' New Star Prospect Has Record-Setting Performance During Spring Breakout

It was a record-setting day for new Washington Nationals star prospect Gavin Fien.

Red Washington Nationals hat on top of a black mitt | Brad Mills-Imagn Images

The Washington Nationals competed in their Spring Breakout game against the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday. Billed as being one of the most anticipated contests of all the exhibition matchups based on the sheer number of star prospects that would be on the field, it lived up to the hype.

While the Nationals couldn't come away with a victory -- they lost by a score of 9-8 -- it was an entertaining game that showcased plenty of young players who could become the faces of their respective franchises in the future.

For Washington, one of the highly-anticipated prospects fans wanted to get their eyes on was Eli Willits. Ranked No. 1 in the team's farm system, he's always going to draw tons of attention. However, it was the Nationals' newest star prospect -- Gavin Fien -- who stole the show with a record-setting performance at the plate.

Gavin Fien's Five RBIs Sets the New Spring Breakout Record

Washington Nationals prospect Gavin Fien | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Previously, the most RBIs recorded by a singular person in this event was a three-way tie between Xavier Isaac of the Tampa Bay Rays, Spencer Jones of the New York Yankees and Tirso Ornelas of the San Diego Padres when that trio each had four in 2024.

Now, Fien's name is at the top of the record book after what he did on Thursday. The 2025 first-round pick went 3-for-4 at the plate with a walk and those five runs batted in. Two of his hits were doubles, as he showed an ability to drive the baseball like his scouting report suggested when he was entering the draft.

Acquired as the headliner of the return in the MacKenzie Gore trade earlier in the offseason, Fien gave Nationals fans a glimpse at what he could become by being an RBI machine at the top of the lineup. He'll have to carry this over throughout the 2026 campaign on the farm. But this was an incredible way to introduce himself to the fanbase in a live-game setting.

Eli Willits, Gavin Fien Provided Electricity at Top of Nationals Lineup

Washington Nationals prospect Eli Willits | SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

While Fien was the undoubted star of the Spring Breakout game, what Willits did can't be overlooked, either. And that especially is true when factoring in what these two top prospects did as the No. 1 and No. 2 hitters in the lineup.

To start the contest, Willits drew a walk. Then he stole second base and put himself into scoring position with Fien at the plate. The slugger paid off that effort with an RBI double that scored Willits and gave the Nationals a 1-0 lead in the top of the first.

"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, per Jessica Camerato of MLB.com. "Literally, we couldn't have scripted it any better to happen."

That wasn't the only time these two had a connection during this contest. Later, in the top of the second inning, the bases were loaded after Willits drew his second walk of the game. Once again, Fien came through when he ripped a bases-clearing double to the gap between left and center field that gave Washington a 4-0 lead.

While the record-setting performance by Fien is enough on its own to get this Nationals fanbase fired up regarding one of their new additions to the pipeline, the fact he and Willits were so lethal at the top of the order is something that should have every fan dreaming about what these two can do for this franchise in a few years when they are playing in the MLB.