Hernandez, Willits squared off in High-A battle of 2025 top Draft picks
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Two of the top picks in the 2025 MLB Draft and two of MLB Pipeline’s top prospects did battle on Tuesday in High-A.
Seth Hernandez (PIT No. 1 prospect, MLB No. 3) took the bump for Greensboro, while Eli Willits (WSH No. 1, MLB No. 4) made his debut for Wilmington after cruising through Single-A. Hernandez and the Grasshoppers got the last laugh, winning 7-5 at First National Bank Field, in part thanks to a three-run seventh inning.
The No. 6 pick in last year’s Draft, Hernandez struck out seven in just four innings of work, putting him back into the lead across the Minor Leagues with 83 punchouts this season. The 19-year-old righty with high heat didn’t necessarily have his best stuff, though, as he allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits and also issued two walks. He needed 70 pitches (44 strikes) to get through the outing.
Hernandez issued a leadoff walk to Willits and allowed a Yeremy Cabrera single in the first inning, but he worked a strikeout and benefitted from batter interference to escape the traffic. A leadoff Jacob Walsh single in the second was followed by an Elijah Green homer before Hernandez buckled down again, striking out a pair to end the inning.
The third was his cleanest inning. Hernandez gave up a leadoff double to Ronny Cruz but retired the next three batters in order, including a pair of K’s. He didn’t help himself in the fourth, throwing an errant pickoff attempt after another leadoff double to allow Angel Feliz to score.
A strikeout, single and double play capped the performance for Hernandez. His season ERA now sits at 2.36 across two levels and at 4.15 in five starts at High-A. Opponents are hitting just .170 against him for the season and still a meager .213 in his five starts since the promotion.
Meanwhile, Willits -- last year’s No. 1 pick -- finished his High-A debut 0-for-3 with two walks and a strikeout, with the first walk and strikeout coming against Hernandez. The 19-year-old shortstop’s second walk came in the seventh inning, loading the bases with one out.
Wilmington took the lead by scratching a run across, but Jhonny Severino smacked a bases-loaded double in the home half of the inning, scoring two and delivering the game-clinching lead for the Grasshoppers.