The Nationals have taken highschool shortstop Eli Willits as the primary total collection of the 2025 draft. The 17-year-old Willits (a product of Fort Cobb-Broxton Excessive College in Oklahoma) is the youngest first total decide in draft historical past. Washington had the primary decide for the third time in franchise historical past, and Willits could have a tricky act to observe for the reason that Nats’ earlier two 1-1 picks had been Stephen Strasburg in 2009, and Bryce Harper in 2010.
There wasn’t a transparent consensus amongst draft pundits this 12 months, so a number of potential names had been floated for the Nationals within the prime spot. One other surprising wrinkle emerged only a week in the past when the Nats fired longtime president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo (in addition to supervisor Dave Martinez), and assistant GM Mike DeBartolo was immediately in command of the entrance workplace after being elevated to the interim normal supervisor place. DeBartolo advised MASNsports.com’s Mark Zuckerman and different reporters that Willits was “the man we needed all alongside,” so it doesn’t seem that the sudden administration change impacted the Nationals’ plans.
It’s actually potential that the decide was made with a watch in the direction of the Nats’ total draft pool, as Willits may very well be extra apt to signal for lower than the $11,075,900 slot worth for the primary total choice. A below-slot deal for Willits would unencumber house inside Washington’s total bonus pool ($16,597,800) for the Nationals to unfold that cash round on different picks, maybe to entice some future picks later within the draft to signal somewhat than pursue faculty ball.
Whereas Willits was a slight shock at 1-1, the shortstop (the son of former Angels outfielder Reggie Willits) was nonetheless a highly-regarded prospect. Baseball America and ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel every rated Willits because the third-best member of this 12 months’s draft class, Fangraphs and MLB Pipeline every ranked him fifth, and The Athletic’s Keith Regulation had Willits eighth in his rankings.
Evaluators really feel Willits has a reasonably excessive flooring as a strong all-around expertise, together with his wonderful pace standing out as maybe his prime instrument. Willits is considered as having the defensive potential to stay at shortstop, and he has a plus throwing arm and good vary for the place. A switch-hitter, Willits is already a powerful contact hitter with a very good method on the plate. Maybe the biggest query is how a lot energy Willits will be capable of generate towards Main League pitching, however McDaniel and BA imagine he can attain the 15-homer vary.
Willits doesn’t have the hype or celebrity ceiling of Strasburg or Harper, but the 17-year-old now fills the same function as one of many faces of a brand new period of Nationals baseball. The Nats haven’t had a successful season since capturing the 2019 World Collection, and the firings of Rizzo and Martinez point out how possession isn’t happy with the state of what has change into a reasonably prolonged rebuild. Washington had the sixth-worst report (71-91) in baseball in 2024 however held the fourth-best odds heading into final December’s draft lottery, because the White Sox and A’s had been each ineligible to draft inside the prime six.
