MLB: Nationals Take 17-Year-Old Shortstop Eli Willits With First Pick In The 2025 Draft
He is the fifth-ranked prospect in the class of 2025, according to MLB.com.
With the first pick in the 2025 Major League Baseball Draft, the Washington Nationals selected 17-year-old high school shortstop Eli Willits, the youngest true prospect in the class.
“I’m just excited,” Willits said during an interview after he was drafted. “Thank you to the Nationals organization for giving me this chance. I want to thank God for everything. At the end of the day, I’m ready to get out and get to work.”
Baseball is in Eli Willits’ DNA. His father, Reggie, spent six years in the MLB as an outfielder for the Los Angeles Angels. He also served the New York Yankees as a coach from 2018 to 2021.
“He’s everything. I wouldn’t be here without him,” said Eli Willits of his father. “I wanted to tell him thanks in everything he did for me. He’s been there since I was a little baby. We’ve hit since I could stand up.”
The Nationals have their guy
With the Number 1 pick in the 2025 #MLBDraft, the @Nationals select SS Eli Willits from Fort Cobb-Broxton (OK) High School. pic.twitter.com/mHPUOi0WBR
— MLB (@MLB) July 13, 2025
Eli Willits is the third-youngest player in MLB history to be taken with the number-one overall pick in the draft. Only Ken Griffey Jr. (17 years, 193 days) and Tim Foli (17 years, 180 days) were younger when they were drafted.
“We couldn’t be more excited,” said the Nationals’ interim general manager, Mike DeBartolo. “Eli, he’s a special player. Great hit tool. [He] makes contact. Controls the strike zone. We love his swings. [He’s a] switch hitter. Just a clean operation at the plate… Just an elite shortstop. Somebody who stays at shortstop. Somebody with great range… When you put all that together, it’s rare to get someone that we think is the best hitter in the draft and the best fielder in the draft. So we just thought that was an opportunity we couldn’t pass up.”
DeBartolo also mentioned several intangibles that Willits possesses. The general manager said that Willits has maturity, confidence, and a strong work ethic.
“I’m just a player that’s going to go out there and give everything I got, just like everyone else,” Willits said. “I feel like I have a good hit ability, and I’m going to take that to the next level. I feel like my power is up and coming, but I need to get into an organization like the Nationals, that can help develop that and take it to the next level.”
THE moment @EliWillits x @OU_Baseball pic.twitter.com/vMg5EepKy2
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) July 14, 2025
Last season, Willits had a .473 batting average while recording eight home runs, 34 RBIs, and 56 runs scored compared to just four strikeouts. He also helped lead Fort Cobb-Broxton High School to its sixth consecutive Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association Class B state title.
“He makes the routine play about as easy as you can see anybody make it, much less a 17-year-old,” explained Danny Haas, Washington’s vice president of Amateur Scouting. “It’s just very soft, sure hands; educated, quick feet in all directions; and just a very compact, accurate, strong throwing arm… Eli really loves the game. You can tell that he’s dedicated, and he’s had a lot of reps in his career.”
Willits is still a long way away from making his Major League debut. He committed to play baseball at the University of Oklahoma, but that might change after being taken with the first overall pick in the MLB Draft.
“It’s definitely going to be a long path. There’s a lot of development still left to do,” Willits said. “But I’m excited and happy to get to work with such a great organization and great people in the Nats organization. So I’m ready to start building relationships with my teammates, my coaches, and get to work.”