Eli Willits has arrived.
The Nationals' first overall pick of the 2025 MLB Draft made his professional baseball debut with the Class-A Fredericksburg Nationals on Thursday. At 17 years, 8 months, and 13 days of age, Willits--not yet old enough to vote--entered play over 13% younger than the average batter in the Carolina League and got straight to work, knocking in a run on a forceout to second in his first plate appearance in the second inning and stealing second base soon after.
Two innings later, Willits shot his first professional hit the other way past the shortstop, though a lackadaisical pickup by the left fielder spurred him to try for an extra base and he was cut down by the throw soon after. Eli delivered a firm line drive to the pull side for another hit and another run batted in when he came up in the sixth, then shot a grounder up the line and beat out an impressive diving stop by the Fayetteville first basemen for a third hit in the eighth. A walk to lead off the seventh meant Willits' professional debut ended with him reaching base four times, stealing a base, driving in two runs, and scoring once, as the FredNats overcame the Woodpeckers 10 runs to 6.
The hustle didn't stop there for the young shortstop. A day later, Willits eased any doubts skeptics might have had about his ability to play his position, flashing the leather not once but twice in the first two innings with two excellent stops and throws to get runners at first. Eli reached base three more times that game (a hit, a walk, and once hit by a pitch), scoring twice. He picked up another hit and RBI in the third game on Saturday. The Freddies try to win the series Sunday evening; first pitch is at 6:05 PM Eastern time.
For the Fredericksburg club, the reinforcements couldn't come at a better time. The Class-A Nationals are 28-21 in the second half of the season, with a narrow half-game lead in the Carolina League's North Division over the Brewers affiliate Carolina Mudcats. Winning the division in the second half would send the Nationals to the Carolina League North Division Series for the second straight year to face the Guardians affiliate Lynchburg Hillcats. The FredNats would try to repeat as league champions for the first time in franchise history.
All this is also good news for the big league Nationals. Willits, currently MLB's No. 18 ranked prospect per Pipeline, leads a class of four shortstops in the Nationals' top 10 alongside teammate Luke Dickerson, Seaver King, and fellow 2025 draftee Coy James. That might be critical, given the lack of true shortstop talent set to hit major league free agency over the next two years and the Nationals not presently having any serious answer at the position. CJ Abrams can hit, but his viability as a defender appears worse by the day, and someone like Nasim Nuñez can excel with his glove and on the basepaths, but his ceiling is capped pretty significantly by his poor skills in the batter's box.
Dickerson, for his part, has managed to stay afloat in his age 19 season. His first season of professional ball has been characterized by difficulty finding a power stroke, though he's shown excellent discipline with a 12.4% walk rate in 71 games with Fredericksburg. It's still the 20-year-old's first pro season, so concerns should be limited. These things do take time.
Seaver King, the now-22-year-old who the Nationals made their first round pick in the 2024 Draft, has seen struggles in his initial stint with Double-A Harrisburg. In 63 games, the shortstop is stealing bases but not much else, slashing .227/.283/.308 for a 75 wRC+ at the level with just 3 home runs. Pipeline gives King a 45/80 FV, while Dickerson is assigned a 50/80.