Fort Cobb-Broxton's Eli Willits runs to first after hitting a fly ball during the high school baseball game between Fort Cobb-Broxton and Stillwater at Edmond Santa Fe High School in Edmond, Okla., Friday, April, 18, 2025. SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Nationals First Overall Pick Eli Willits Continues to Shine in Minor Leagues

Originally posted on Washington Nationals on SI
By Kyle Morton | Last updated Aug 29, 2025 12:00 PM ET

Washington Nationals top prospect and 2025 first overall draft pick Eli Willits made headlines when he went 3-for-4 in his Single-A debut on Aug. 21, and he's continued to showcase his tantalizing long-term potential ever since.

When the Nationals made Willits the first overall pick, they were criticized by some for passing on the highest possible upside available to them with the rare opportunity to select No. 1 in the draft. But perhaps the Nationals maximized the value of the entire class and still got a blue-chip, top prospect with their top pick.

It's true that Willits and Washington agreed to a signing bonus of $8.2 million that checked in almost $3 million below the first overall slot value of $11,075,900, but that does not mean they didn't love Willits' long-term upside. It was also still a record signing bonus for a high school prospect at the time it was announced.

Eli Willits Stays Hot with Single-A Fredericksburg

BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Before making his debut in the minor leagues, Willits made a bold proclamation that his goal was to make it to the Major Leagues by the time he's 20 years of age. As a 17-year-old who reclassified to start his professional career early, that would put him in a Nationals uniform in the 2028 season.

His 3-for-4 debut certainly opened some eyes, and it was an early data point that suggested Willits could find himself on the fast track to the big leagues if he could find a way to sustain it for the remainder of the 2025 campaign.

A week has passed, and he's done exactly that. Through seven games with Fredericksburg, Willits owns a slash line of .381/.481/.391, and he has a hit in every single contest in which he's appeared, giving him a seven-game hit streak to start his professional career.

It would be fair to point out that he has not exactly showcased a major proclivity for hitting for power since each of his hits so far have been singles, but it's also not usual for a prep batter to fare so well in his first taste of professional pitching, either. The learning curve from facing high-school arms to other pros, even ones who are not destined for MLB success, can be a steep one.

But if Willits keeps this rolling -- and it's looking more and more likely that he will -- he'll be given every opportunity to start the 2026 season with the team's High-A affiliate; the Wilmington Blue Rocks. That would give him two full years to work through the remaining three levels before being called up to MLB, giving him a chance to meet his lofty goal of making it to the Majors as a 20-year-old.