The Washington Nationals on Sunday selected switch-hitting shortstop Eli Willits from Fort Cobb-Broxton High in Oklahoma with the first pick of the MLB Draft.
Willits, 17, is the son of former Angels outfielder Reggie Willits. Eli Willits reclassified to the 2025 class and is the youngest in the group. He is the youngest No. 1 pick in MLB draft history.
Willits’ selection by the Nationals came as a surprise to many in the sport, especially with Ethan Holliday, another Oklahoma high school shortstop, also available. Several pundits projected the Nationals would pick LSU left-handed starter Kade Anderson, who could follow in fellow LSU product Paul Skenes’ footsteps and make it quickly to the majors. Anderson went No. 3 to the Seattle Mariners and Holliday was selected next by the Colorado Rockies.
But interim GM Mike DeBartolo told reporters on a video call shortly after the Nationals’ selection that Willits had been the Nationals’ top choice all along.
“The hardest thing is consistency in high school,” said vice president of amateur scouting Danny Haas, “and to have the kind of consistency that he has stands out.”
The 6-foot-1 infielder ended the year as the No. 8 prospect in the draft class. The Athletic’s Keith Law wrote in his latest rankings that Willits, a switch-hitter, is “one of the most likely to stay at the position for the long term. … His swing is compact and geared toward contact, without a lot of lift or length to the ball to create more power. He does have room to fill out, especially in his lower half, and his contact quality should improve to the point that it can support higher batting averages, although I think he’ll top out at 45 (below-average) power.
“He’s a definite shortstop with soft, easy hands, a plus arm, and plus running speed, with the upside of 70 defense. His floor is pretty high because he can defend and make contact, which would at least make him a utility infielder, with above-average upside if he gets strong enough to get to some doubles power and hit .300 or so.”
“I’m excited, thankful to the @Nationals organization for giving me this chance… I’m ready to get to work.”
– No. 1 overall pick Eli Willits
📺 MLB Draft presented by @Nike pic.twitter.com/K4Rky83QkW
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) July 13, 2025
Willits batted .473 with 14 doubles, one triple, eight home runs, 34 RBIs, 27 walks and 47 stolen bases.
The Nationals made their pick one week after the firing of longtime baseball operations lead Mike Rizzo, whose team last picked at No. 1 in 2010, when the team selected eventual MVP Bryce Harper as a 17-year-old. That was Rizzo’s second year as general manager and the Nationals’ second consecutive year with the top draft pick. In 2009, they selected San Diego State right-hander Stephen Strasburg, who would go on to lead the Nationals to the franchise’s first World Series title in 2019.
The slot value of the No. 1 pick is $11,075,900. The Nationals have a total bonus pool of $16,597,800 — the fourth-highest amount — for the first 10 rounds of the 20-round draft.
(Photo: Sarah Phipps / The Oklahoman / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
