After Major Organizational Shakeup, Nationals Land Potential Star Shortstop Eli Willits with the First Overall Selection in 2025 Draft by Noah Kravitz

       Just days after parting ways with the team’s leaders Mike Rizzo and Dave Martinez, the Washington Nationals made another bold statement with the first overall pick in the 2025 draft. The team took high school shortstop Eli Willits, the youngest player ever to be taken with the top pick. 
This selection brought some shock to the baseball world as most were expecting college southpaw Kade Anderson from LSU or the son of a baseball legend [Matt Holliday] Ethan Holliday to be the pick. 

The Nationals go with shortstop Eli Willits out of high school in Oklahoma with the number one pick

While it’s no doubt that those prospects offered a more immediate impact, the Nationals decision to select Willits, the youngest No. 1 pick in MLB history, demonstrates a commitment to the team’s overall vision long-term. They hope to develop him into a cornerstone player that can provide a very advanced skillset at still a very young age. Not every day you see a 17-year-old player drafted first overall in any sport. 

The decision to let Rizzo and Martinez from their positions a week before the draft put the Nationals under an even brighter spotlight. The changes to the manager position didn’t bring as much surprise to the fanbase, but with Rizzo being let go brought some speculation about what direction this team would go in with the number one pick. 

There was the indication that with the promotion of interim General Manager Mike DeBartolo, the front office would deviate from long-lasted draft philosophies of the Mike Rizzo era. Would the Nationals either play it safe with a player like Kade Anderson, or would they lean into a new direction that could prioritize a different set of skill sets?

We did get that answer with the selection of Willits, a considerably younger player who was ranked as more impactful than some college players entering Sunday night. Some would say that the Willits pick indicates a new direction the team will be leaning on, but also a vote of confidence in their scouting department and analytics group that DeBartolo emphasized early on in the process. 

As the Nationals turn the page on a major week of changes, the drafting of Eli Willits marks the important start of a new chapter, one defined by extreme youth and potential. But most importantly, the hope that this talented player can become a major contributor in an effort to once again become a perennial championship contender.