PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- The inaugural Spring Breakout saw the Nationals' top prospects from across affiliate levels take the field together in a big-picture snapshot of the club¡¯s future.

From players who were in high school last year to those who are knocking on the door at the big leagues, the exhibition game was another step in the Nats¡¯ development.

¡°[My favorite moment was] watching the kids compete,¡± said Nationals manager Dave Martinez, who also managed the Spring Breakout game. ¡°I really enjoyed it. I really enjoy the kids. The dugout was full of energy, they were all in it. So it was a lot of fun.¡±

• Box score

The Nationals dropped the matinee, 4-2, to the Mets at Clover Park. Here are the standout moments:

No. 25 prospect Henry K's side
Right-hander Cole Henry, who returned last season from thoracic outlet surgery, was dominant. The 24-year-old fanned Alex Ram¨ªrez, Colin Houck and Jesus Baez in the second inning.

Henry worked an eight-pitch at-bat against Ram¨ªrez to locate a 95.5 mph sinker in the zone on a full count for a called third strike. Henry froze Houck on an 81.8 mph slider in a 2-2 count, and he needed just four pitches to catch Baez swinging at a 95.3 mph sinker.

¡°I just tried to go out there and be confident in myself and my stuff, and just tried to hit [catcher Drew] Millas in the chest,¡± Henry said. ¡°That was the main goal today: just let it flow down the mound pretty easy and leave it all out there.¡±

Henry was added to the 40-man roster ahead of the Rule 5 Draft in November, and he appeared in three Spring Training games before being optioned to Triple-A Rochester on Monday.

No. 10 Susana clocks 103 mph
Heat-throwing right-hander Jarlin Susana, 19, began his outing by reaching triple digits on all six of his pitches to Marco Vargas, including a 103 mph fastball that landed inside in a full-count walk.

Susana¡¯s fastball usually sits around 97-99 mph and has an MLB Pipeline scouting grade of 70 (scale of 20-80). Acquired from the Padres in the Juan Soto blockbuster trade, Susana played at Single-A Fredericksburg last season.

¡°Susana, I¡¯ve seen him, but that¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen him compete,¡± Martinez said. ¡°When that ball comes out, it¡¯s on you quick. We¡¯ve noticed he gets quick in his delivery, so just got to get him to kind of slow down a little bit, keep attacking that strike zone. He¡¯s going to be a good one.¡±

No. 11 Sykora cool under pressure in first pro game
This time last year, Travis Sykora was a senior in high school. The Spring Breakout marked the first pro-level game for the 2023 third-round Draft pick.

¡°I just know when I came in from pitching, they handed me a glass of water and my hand was shaking -- like, my water was shaking out of the glass,¡± said Sykora, 19. ¡°I was like, ¡®I¡¯ve never seen that before.¡¯ I¡¯ve never had that much adrenaline.¡±

With friends and family in the stands from Texas, Sykora delivered a scoreless inning on just seven pitches. His most memorable moment was striking out Jett Williams (Mets¡¯ No. 1 prospect, No. 45 overall), whom he knows from high school baseball.

¡°[Sykora] came out of the game and I put my hand on his chest and it was probably going a thousand miles,¡± Martinez said. ¡°He was pumping strikes, he was really good tonight. For his first time ever pitching in professional baseball, that was pretty impressive.¡±

Millas knows the zone
Millas, the Nats' No. 20 prospect, exemplified why he is lauded for being a defensive catcher. With the Spring Breakout implementing the Automated Ball-Strike challenge system (ABS), Millas successfully overturned two balls when Henry and Sykora were on the mound.

¡°I better trust him now when he says, ¡®That ball was a strike,¡¯¡± Martinez said.

Lile travels with Spring Breakout team following injury scare
Prior to the game, No. 7 prospect Daylen Lile provided an update on the lower back contusion he sustained tumbling over the right-field wall chasing a home run ball at JetBlue Park on March 2. Lile, who was carted off on a stretcher, has returned to baseball activity. He has been cleared to participate in workouts -- including batting practice, throwing and running -- but not yet games.

¡°It¡¯s getting better gradually each and every day,¡± said Lile, 21. ¡°It¡¯s a blessing I¡¯m not going backwards, I¡¯m going upward at this point.¡±

Lile had hoped to be ready to play in the Spring Breakout but now has a target of playing in back-field games next week. After having already missed the 2022 season because of Tommy John surgery, Lile¡¯s goal for this year is to play 162 games.

¡°Scared,¡± Lile said of what was going through his mind during recovery. ¡°I thought something was going to be taken away from me. But I¡¯m blessed to be back out there with the guys, getting to talk to them, just be around them, so I¡¯m feeling good.¡±