Meet Eli Willits, the No. 1 pick in the 2025 MLB draft who has already made history

The Washington Nationals selected Eli Willits as the No.1 pick in the 2025 MLB draft. Willits, a graduate of Fort Cobb-Broxton High School in Oklahoma, became the third youngest player in MLB history to be drafted.

The 17-year-old ranks behind Ken Griffey Jr. (17 years, 193 days), who was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in 1987, and Tim Foli (17 years, 180 days), drafted by the New York Mets in 1968.

Willits hails from a baseball family. His father, a former professional baseball player, Reggie Willits played six seasons in the big leagues with the Los Angeles Angels in the late 2000s. Initially starting off his coaching career in high school, he joined the New York Yankees organization in 2015, before moving up to the position of first base coach in 2018, a role he held until 2021.

Since then, Reggie has been part of the University of Oklahoma coaching team. His son, Jaxon, Eli's elder brother, is a sophomore player on the baseball team. Like Jaxon, Eli had been committed to the same university, but after his first-round pick, he is unlikely to join.

Eli's scouting reports state he is a 6-foot-1 shortstop. He has an above-average arm and runs bases well. He is a contact hitter with a strong ability to hit line drives. Willits will be looking to develop his power game and evolve into a complete hitter.

Last season in high school, he hit .473 with 14 doubles, one triple, eight home runs, 34 RBIs, 27 walks and 47 stolen bases and led his team to the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association Class B state title for the sixth consecutive season.

“Every kid’s dream is to be the No. 1 overall pick,” Willits said after getting picked. “That’s just something I set my standards to. It’s what people say [about] the best pick in the Draft. If you go No. 1 overall, no one can go above you. I’m just grateful and thankful for God to put me in this situation.”

Nationals explain choosing Eli Willits as No.1 pick

The Washington Nationals recently went through a change in leadership after general manager Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez were fired from their positions last Sunday. Mike DeBartolo, assistant general manager since 2012, was given the nod as the interim general manager.

After picking Eli as the top pick, he complimented Willits' all-round abilities that drove the organization towards him.

“Eli was the top guy on our board,” DeBartolo said. “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, the best fielder in the Draft with just great makeup, great work ethic and all the intangibles.”

Eli was ranked as the 5th-best prospect by MLB Pipeline heading into the Draft. He was picked over favorites Kade Anderson and Ethan Holliday, who were picked third and fourth, by the Mariners and Colorado Rockies, respectively.