Team USA alumni left it all on the field and delivered standout performances at Major League Baseball’s third annual Spring Breakout last weekend. The event, which debuted in 2024, serves as a precursor to Opening Day and showcases baseball’s future stars and emerging talent. Former top prospects and current big leaguers such as Jackson Holliday, Paul Skenes, and Trey Yesavage are among the Team USA alumni who once put their skills on display at Spring Breakout.
This year’s prospect pool featured a record number of USA Baseball alumni, with 114 players named to Spring Breakout rosters for the four-day, 16-game exhibition slate. It marked the first time more than 100 alumni participated, underscoring USA Baseball’s pursuit of identifying and developing the next generation of talent.
Across both the Cactus and Grapefruit Leagues, Team USA alumni turned in highlight-reel plays and executed at an elite level both in the field and at the plate. From 12U to the Collegiate National Team, alumni made their mark and proved America’s Pastime runs through the red, white, and blue.
Spring Breakout’s Teen Spirit
Of the 802 players named to Spring Breakout rosters, 142 (17.7%) were under 20 years old at the time of the event. Four of those teenagers – all teammates on the gold-medal winning 2024 18U National Team – made significant contributions and offered a glimpse into the current production of young talent.
Washington’s No. 5 prospect Gavin Fien (2019 12U, 2024 18U) put all his tools on display and registered one of the more impressive performances on the first day of Spring Breakout, going 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles, five RBIs, a walk, and a run scored.
Eli Willits (2024 18U), the No. 1 pick from the 2025 MLB Draft, demonstrated his maturity with elite plate discipline for Washington, drawing a pair of free passes in addition to a stolen bag. Willits would go on to score two runs for the Nationals.
Ethan Holliday (2022 15U, 2024 18U), the fourth overall pick in 2025, dug in at short for Colorado and delivered a 2-for-3 performance, collecting two RBIs and a walk against Arizona.
After leading the 18U National Team to a first-place finish in Panama and earning USA Baseball Player of the Year honors in 2024, Kayson Cunningham (2024 18U) helped power the Diamondbacks to a Spring Breakout win over the Rockies Saturday evening. Arizona’s first-round selection entered at DH and proceeded to notch two base knocks on the day.
The Chicago (Red) White (and Blue) Sox
Five USA Baseball alumni took the field for the Chicago White Sox in their matchup against the Los Angeles Dodgers Prospects squad, most of whom played on the Collegiate National Team between 2022 and 2024.
Two alumni took the bump Saturday afternoon, as Hagen Smith (2023 CNT) started on the mound and totaled four strikeouts in nearly two innings of work.
Gabe Davis (2024 CNT), another arm for the Southside, proved to be one of the team’s standout players. With the score already 11-8 in the fifth in favor of the Dodgers, Davis entered in relief and shut down the opposing bats, hurling two innings of one-hit ball and retiring three by way of strikeout.
On the offensive end, Braden Montgomery (2023 CNT) picked up a pair of RBIs in his 1-for-3 outing while George Wolkow (2021 15U) golfed a solo shot to right center in the eighth inning to bring Chicago within a run of Los Angeles.
CNT Alumni Lead Twins
Kaelen Culpepper, a 2023 CNT alum, and 2024 alum Marek Houston helped lift the Minnesota Twins to a 9-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies Thursday afternoon at Lee Health Sports Complex in Lee County, Fla.
Trailing 3-2 in the fourth, Culpepper provided a clutch, two-out double to drive in a pair of runs and hand the Twins a lead it would never relinquish.
Later in the contest, Houston tacked on an insurance run, driving a 2-1 offering through the left side to make it 6-3. Culpepper finished the day with three RBIs and a run scored while Houston posted a 2-for-4 day at the plate, adding an RBI and two runs scored to his name.
Raking for the Royals
As if the future was not already bright for a Kansas City team who already touts promising players such as Bobby Witt Jr. (2018 18U, 2023 & 2026 Pro) and Jac Caglianone (2023 CNT), a new pair of Team USA alumni in Gavin Cross (2021 CNT) and Blake Mitchell (2021 & 2022 18U) have also burst on the scene.
Cross got the start at first base and immediately made an impact for the Royals, homering on a deep fly ball to right field to put his team ahead 2-0 in the third inning. Mitchell, who started at catcher for Kansas City, one-upped Cross with one of his own in the fifth, launching a three-run jack to left center field to make it 6-0 after five.
Other Notable Hitting Performances
- Kemp Alderman (MIA; 2014 12U): Alderman got the start at DH for Miami and delivered with a 2-for-3 performance at the plate, driving in a pair of runs with a line drive single to left field in the fourth.
- Druw Jones (ARI; 2021 18U): A former No. 2 overall pick, Jones was one of three Diamondbacks to notch a multi-hit outing, going 2-for-3 with two RBIs in Arizona’s 10-3 win over Colorado.
- Izaac Pacheco (DET; 2014 12U): Detroit started Pacheco at the hot corner and posted the only multi-hit performance for the Tigers, going 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored apiece.
- Carter Trice (CHC; 2021 CNT): After pinch-hitting in the fourth, the NC State alum ended up pacing his team, highlighted by a two-out solo shot in the eighth amidst his 3-for-3, two RBI, and two runs scored performance in Chicago’s 7-5 win.
- JJ Wetherholt (STL; 2023 CNT): St. Louis’ first-round pick in 2024 was one of three Cardinals to record a multi-hit day at the plate, as the second baseman went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and a walk.
Other Notable Pitching Performances
- Anthony Eyanson (BOS; 2024 CNT): Boston’s 2025 third-round pick out of LSU fired a flawless eighth inning for the Red Sox, needing just 14 pitches and punching out all three batters he faced.
- Josh Hartle (CLE; 2017 15U, 2018 15U): Hartle entered in relief in the fourth to preserve a 4-0 lead and did just that – the two-time alum twirled two innings of one-hit ball and struck out three batters.
- Joey Oakie (CLE; 2023 18U): Entering the game just after Josh Hartle, Oakie tossed a pair of shutout innings himself, allowing only two hits and notching three strikeouts to maintain Cleveland’s four-run lead.
- Will Sanders (CHC; 2021 CNT): Sanders was named the starter for the Cubs and put forth an effective outing, striking out three batters, allowing just one hit, and surrendering one run in three frames.
- Nate Snead (LAA; 2024 CNT): Snead took the bump in the fifth inning for Los Angeles and fired two clean innings while striking out a pair in his Spring Breakout debut.
All-Spring Breakout First Team
- OF: Carter Trice
- DH: Gavin Fien
All-Spring Breakout Second Team
- C: Blake Mitchell
- 2B: JJ Wetherholt
- P: Anthony Eyanson
