The Washington Nationals looked ready to take a safe route by eyeing a polished pitcher with the No. 1 overall pick. However, defying the odds, after skipping over Ethan Holliday, the Nats went for the 17-year-old Eli Willits—the youngest one ever chosen first overall. The Nats might not have vouched for the safe; instead, they wanted the best.

The fearless choice came just a week after the Nationals fired their longtime manager, Dave Martinez, and GM Mike Rizzo. Addressing why the Nationals selected Eli Willits No. 1 overall, interim GM Mike DeBartolo shed some light.

“We couldn’t be more excited. You know, Eli is a special player. A great hit tool makes contacts and controls the strike zones. We love his swing. Switch hitter. Um, just a clean operation at the plate…with developing power. Impact at the plate, and then, just an elite shortstop. Somebody who stays at shortstop, somebody with great range, smooth hands, a great arm, accurate,” he revealed.

Further, he added the intangibles. “And then you add on top of that just intangibles and confidence and work ethic, just maturity that’s off the charts. So 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. And so we just thought that was an opportunity we couldn’t pass up.”

For the record, Willits—son of ex-big leaguer Reggie Willits—happens to be the youngest player to be taken No. 1 overall since Ken Griffey Jr. with Seattle back in 1987 (17 years 193 days). Last year, at just 16, Willits hit .473 with 14 doubles, one triple, 8 home runs, and 34 RBIs. And the scouts believe Willits is only going to get better as he matures physically.

Even though many had Holliday as the No. 1 player on the board, for the Nationals, Eli Willits—the high school shortstop out of Oklahoma—was a clear choice.

Eli Willits was the guy the Nationals wanted all along

There were many predictions that the Nationals would choose either Ethan Holliday or LSU pitcher Kade Anderson. However, when they chose Oklahoma high schooler Eli Willits with the first pick in the 2025 draft on Sunday, it stunned the league.

Ever since Mark Lerner, the Nationals’ managing principal owner, released Martinez and Rizzo from managerial duties, things have been different. There has been a shift in draft preps, which are, by the way, now overseen by GM Mike DeBartolo. The most shocking part was when DeBartolo admitted that Willits has been “the guy we wanted all along.”

This year’s No. 1 pick comes with a record slot value amounting to $11.08 million. It’s yet to be decided how close to that figure the signing bonus for Eli Willits will be.

For Eli Willits, the Washington Nationals give him a path to stardom. Not even 18 yet, this gives him a significant amount of time to make an impact. However, the sooner, the better. “It’s definitely going to be a long path. There’s a lot of development still left to do. 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,” reacted an enthusiastic Willits.

Eli Willits is expected to be a more developed teenage version of Yankee shortstop Anthony Volpe, according to a report by MLB.com. What do you think?