The 2025 No. 1 overall pick is headed to full-season club No. 1.
The Nationals are promoting Eli Willits to Single-A Fredericksburg, a source told MLB.com on Wednesday. The 17-year-old shortstop is expected to make his Minor League debut Thursday against Fayetteville. The team has not confirmed the news, which was first reported by the Washington Post.
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Willits had been working out with other Nationals farmhands and recent Draft picks at the organization’s Spring Training facility in West Palm Beach, Fla. The Florida Complex League season ended on July 24, five days after Willits officially signed for $8.2 million.
Taken out of the Oklahoma prep ranks, the son of former Angels outfielder Reggie Willits has been lauded for his polish at the plate as a switch-hitter at such a young age, balancing both bat-to-ball skills with an unwillingness to chase. He’s also considered a plus runner and a good bet to stick at the premium position of shortstop with his range and above-average arm strength. That collection of skills pushed him to debut at No. 18 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 prospects ranking.
“I’m a guy that’s going to go out there and play with my hair on fire,” Willits said on the MLB Pipeline Podcast on Tuesday. “I’m a guy that’s excited and thankful for the opportunity that I’ve been blessed with. I’m ready to learn and help take my development to the next level.
“I feel like I have a great hittability that can really help impact the game. I feel like my baserunning skills are [some] of the best in the game, and I feel like when I get on the basepaths, I can really impact the game with the way I run the bases. … I feel like I’m going to stay at shortstop for the rest of my life, and that’s an ultimate goal.”
Power is his only below-average tool at this early stage, but there is some belief that he could get to 15-plus homers in time, especially as he fills out his 6-foot-1 frame.
“I’m going to mature as a 17-year-old kid,” he said on the podcast. “I’m going to stay in the gym, keep getting stronger, keep getting bigger, and that stuff is going to come. I can’t go out there and try to impact the ball because that’s not my game. My game is to hit doubles and triples and steal bases. … When I step up to the plate, I’m not trying to hit a pullside homer. I’m trying to hit a line drive off the pitcher’s face.”
Willits was the third-youngest player selected first overall and the youngest since Ken Griffey Jr. in 1987. He becomes the fourth high-schooler taken in the first round this year to see Single-A ball, joining Ethan Holliday (Rockies), Kayson Cunningham (D-backs) and Tate Southisene (Braves) on that list. He’ll also be just the sixth age-17 player to get a plate appearance at Single-A in 2025.
The former Oklahoma commit joins a Fredericksburg Nationals squad that sits one game back of the Carolina Mudcats in the Carolina League North Division second-half standings. Other Top 30 Nationals prospects on the FredNats roster are infielder Luke Dickerson (No. 4), outfielder/first baseman Ethan Petry (No. 8), infielder Angel Feliz (No. 14) and outfielder Cristhian Vaquero (No. 26). Dickerson and Vaquero hit grand slams in the same inning during a 15-4 win over Fayetteville on Tuesday.