When the Nationals selected Eli Willits first overall in the 2025 Draft, they landed a player that evaluators thought could be the premier standout from the class in the long run. Yes, he was just 17 years old -- and will play the entirety of his first full pro campaign at 18 -- but he’s also a veritable tool shed: speed, pop, feel to hit, fielding and the arm to boot.
As Willits, now the Nationals’ top prospect, gets his sea legs under him in 2026, the numbers have begun to back up the organization’s belief.
After a two-hit, two-RBI performance in which he reached base four times during Saturday night’s 5-4 loss for Single-A Fredericksburg against Hickory at Virginia Credit Union Stadium, Willits has collected at least one knock in 11 of his past 12 games. He crushed an opposite-field homer Friday and has 10 RBIs in his past seven contests. Dating back to April 14, he’s slashing .339/.494/.597 with more walks (20) than strikeouts (16).
That level of plate discipline is impressive for any prospect but even more so for a player fresh out of high school who is yet to take an at-bat in the pros against a pitcher younger than him. His 20.2 percent walk rate is tops among all players aged 18 or younger this season. (Just two players in the big leagues -- Nick Kurtz and Mike Trout -- are running walk rates above 20 percent through play Saturday.)
The Oklahoma native was nabbed on his lone stolen-base attempt Saturday but he has successfully swiped at least one bag in 15 of his 25 games this year. He leads the Single-A Carolina League in steals (19) and is tied for second in all of the Minors. But he also used those wheels to log his first pro homer in unconventional fashion last month, zooming around the bases for an inside-the-parker.
When Willits was officially introduced by the club after signing his deal last year, he made the expectation known: do what only two Nationals players -- Bryce Harper and Juan Soto -- have done before and reach the big leagues by age 20. While both of those future likely Hall of Famers ascended near the top of prospect lists before graduating to the nation’s capital, Willits is following suit: he has already moved into the No. 10 overall spot on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 Prospects list and could continue to climb in the weeks, months and years ahead.
COMPLETE NATIONALS PROSPECT COVERAGE
The Nats certainly believe. It’s why Willits took the field during the big league club’s spring opener in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Feb. 21. It’s why he headlined the club’s Spring Breakout roster in March. And it’s why he was the top player on their board last July, now turning that promise into production.