Shortstop Eli Willit Selected First Overall by Nationals

Seventeen-year-old Eli Willit has taken a significant step toward his dream of playing professional baseball. The Washington Nationals picked him as the No. 1 overall selection in the MLB Amateur Draft on Sunday night.

This makes Willit the youngest player to hold the top spot since Ken Griffey Jr. in 1987, when Griffey was selected by the Seattle Mariners. Willit, whose father Reggie Willitz played in the majors for the Los Angeles Angels and coached the New York Yankees, attended Fort Cobb Broxton High School in Oklahoma. He’s a switch-hitting shortstop, a skill that’s expected to improve as he develops further.

“I believe I have good potential and I’m ready to take it to the next level,” Willit remarked about his abilities. “I think my strength is improving, but I need to be in a solid organization like the Nationals to truly refine it.”

At 17 years and 216 days old, Willit edged out Griffey’s previous record of 193 days by a slim margin of 17 days.

With the Nationals recently parting ways with manager Dave Martinez and general manager Mike Rizzo, the choice of Willit came during a time of transition for the team. Interim general manager Mike DeBartoro emphasized that Willit was at the top of their draft board.

“It’s remarkable that scouts and analysts all agree on him being the top hitter and fielder in this draft,” he stated.

Throughout his senior year, Willit maintained an impressive batting average of .473, accompanied by an OPS of .912, highlighting his strong performance in high school baseball.