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High School Shortstop Eli Willits became the latest teenager who took a big step in making his professional baseball dreams a reality.
Washington Nationals chose Willits with the total overall choice of MLB amateur draft on Sunday night.
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This year’s All-State Baseball Player, Fort Cobb-Broxton’s Eli Willits, is depicted in Edmond, Okla., Friday, June 6, 2025. (Bryan Terry / Oklahoman / USA Today Network via Imag images)
17 years old he is the youngest player taken # 1 since Ken Griffey Jr. In 1987 with Seattle Mariners.
He is the son of ex-Major Leaguer Reggie Willits, who played for Los Angeles Angels and was a coach with New York Yankees.
Willits played baseball at Fort Cobb-Broxton High School in Oklahoma. He is a switch-hit short stop that is expected to put more power in his turn as he develops.
“I want to have good hitability, and I’ll take that to the next level,” Willits said of his forces. “And I feel like my power is up and coming, but I had to get into an organization like Nationals that can help develop it and take it to the next level.”
Willits is 17 years and 216 days old. Griffey was 17 and 193 days old when the Marines chose him No. 1. Tim Foli, who was the top election in 1968, was the youngest of 17 years, 180 days old, according to mlb.com.
Washington Nationals selects Eli Willits, from Oklahoma in the first round of MLB Baseball Draft Sunday, July 13, 2025 in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
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Nationals’ election came a week after the organization fired manager Dave Martinez and General Manager Mike Rizzo.
But citizens’ temporary general manager Mike Debartolo maintained that Willits was the top guy on the board.
“It’s one of the lovely things where the scouts and analysts see things exactly the same way and saw him as the best hitter in the draft, the best field in the draft with just good makeup, great work ethics and all intangible,” Debartolo said via mlb.com.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred speaks during the first round of MLB Baseball Draft Sunday, July 13, 2025 in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Willits hit 0.473 with a ops of .912 in his last year in high school.
