This story was excerpted from Jessica Camerato's Nationals Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The crowd gathered on the workout fields hours before first pitch. Catcher Drew Millas walked over to the fence that looked onto the bullpen mounds. He was more than familiar with the group of fans who were waiting to see him -- he was family with them.

Millas’ mother, father, fiancée, uncle, two cousins and childhood friends traveled from St. Louis to the Nationals' Spring Training home. This is not the first time they have watched Millas get ready for the season, but this is his first camp since he made his Major League debut on Aug. 28.

“I [was] frantically searching for extra tickets every day,” Millas, 26, said. “It’s a very fun time.”

Millas, the Nationals’ No. 20 prospect per MLB Pipeline, welcomed the company. His fiancée, Ashley, stays with him for the whole camp, while his other relatives get a break from the winter weather in the Midwest.

“They love it,” Millas said. “It’s like a vacation for them, too.”

Millas’ father, Andy, is in his element soaking up the pregame workouts and games: He runs a baseball facility in St. Louis. He has been a mainstay by the bullpens in the years since Millas first participated in Nats camp, proudly observing his son in action.

“He’s always watching really closely, the drills we do, the stuff we do on a daily basis, all the positions, not just me,” Millas said. “Not only that, but he comes to a lot of games in affiliate ball, too. All the guys that I’ve played with might know him in some way, and he’ll call some of the guys over. They have good talks with everybody.

“On my dad’s end, he loves to get here early and watches everything. That’s his vacation. Everybody is at the beach [on days I don’t play], but he’ll come here.”

Millas had fun at an off-day golf outing and postgame dinners with his relatives. But for all the games there are to watch and activities to do in the area, he most enjoyed the nights he could simply go to his parents’ place and hang out with his family.

“It’s incredible,” Millas said. “I think sometimes you take it for granted when you’re at home and they’re all around. But to truly see how much they actually care, to come all the way here and watch me, it means a lot.”