When one of the losing teams in the American League gets the first overall pick, you know they’re going to get the best talent possible. So when the Washington Nationals brought in Eli Willits with the first overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, it was expected that the feedback would be great enough to raise expectations for the club moving forward.

A promising selection out of Fort Cobb-Broxton High School in Oklahoma, the 17-year-old shortstop proved to be one of the best talents out in this year’s draft class, and he was one of the youngest true prospects from the 2025 class after reclassifying from the class of ‘26 as well.

Initially, no one would be impressed that the Nats brought in a very young player who may not do enough or even more to help the club get back on track and regain its footing on the big stage – and rise to domination once more. Still, there’s a lot of hope from such a talented player in Willits to prove his worth, and he is going to get that chance now more than ever.

Preparing for a New Dawn

Before the draft came in, the Nationals actually worked out to make massive changes in their management. The team fired general manager Mike Rizzo and even manager Dave Martinez. Mike DeBartolo – who has been the club’s assistant GM for years – was elevated to interim GM for his long service since 2012.

DeBartolo then brought in some big names to come up with new staff – amateur scouting Danny Haas; senior director, amateur scouting Brad Ciolek; and assistant director and national crosschecker, amateur scouting Reed Dunn.

“I would say he was our top guy throughout the process. We had our eye on him throughout,” said DeBartolo. “… He was the guy we wanted all along, and we’re really excited that it worked out so well. Eli was the top guy on our board. It's one of those nice things where the scouts and the analysts see things exactly the same way and saw him as the best hitter in the Draft.”

That preparation eventually led them to see the prime talent in Willits – who was definitely their best expected pick ever since the offseason began for the team, and now it seems that the Oklahoma talent is going to make waves in the game moving forward.

Is Willits a Good Selection?

To be fair, Eli Willits does deserve a lot of praise for his impressive game and how he can actually find his way to the top of the squad and make a strong impact to the Nationals’ redemption hopes. After all, it is not always that a rebuilding club would bring in the first pick of the draft.

Based on his highlights, Willits has a good amount of speed and a strong arm to keep him at the ready. He also has massive instincts on the field, which should definitely make him a great performer to look out for now more than ever.

“I want to be described as a guy that plays harder than everyone else,” Willits. “But at the end of the day, I want to be described as a great human being that is good to people off the field and good to teammates.”

Should Willits turn out to be a great performer as projected by the team, then the Nationals would have a great chance to get back on their winning pattern and finally redeem their worth on the big stage.