After a game on May 16, Eli Willits experienced a spell of lower back tightness that did not require a stint on the injured list but led to a precautionary absence of four games (eight days) for the No. 1 overall pick in last year's Draft.
It was tough timing for the Nats' top-ranked prospect, who was in the midst of one the best stretches of his season before the ailment. But the rest has served the 18-year-old well as he has not skipped a beat since his return to action on May 24.
Willits has recorded eight knocks -- five for extra bases -- over his past four games, culminating with his first three-hit performance of the season -- that included a double, three RBIs, a run scored and a stolen base -- in Single-A Fredericksburg's 11-9 victory over Delmarva at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium on Thursday afternoon.
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In his first game back on Sunday, MLB's No. 4 overall prospect hit a double on the first pitch he saw. He added another two-bagger in that contest to record his first of three multihit games over his past four. Willits is in the midst of an eight-game hitting streak in which he is batting .406 with a 1.081 OPS and 12 RBIs.
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On Thursday, Willits stepped in against Orioles' right-handed prospect Brayan Orrantia with two on and two outs in the second inning and drove in both runners with a single that found the grass in right-center field. He promptly swiped his 25th bag of the season, moved to third on a throwing error by the catcher and scampered home on a wild pitch shortly thereafter.
The 6-foot-1, 180-pound shortstop added another base hit off Orrantia in the following frame and finished the day with an RBI double to right in the ninth to cap the FredNats scoring.
On the season, Willits is slashing .288/.411/.456 with four dingers, a pair of triples and 11 doubles in 40 games. His 38 runs scored, 35 walks and 25 stolen bases all rank second among qualified hitters in the Single-A Carolina League. He ranks among the top five with 32 RBIs (fourth) and 46 total hits (fifth) in the circuit.
Willits became the third-youngest player ever taken at the top of Draft -- and the youngest since Ken Griffey Jr. in 1987 -- at 17 years and 216 days old, when the Nationals selected him with the first overall pick in 2025. He signed with Washington for $8.2 million and went straight to full-season ball where he got in 15 games for the FredNats and went 15-for-50 (.300) with a triple and a double.
Fans might recognize the last name from Reggie Willits, Eli’s dad, who played six seasons with the Angels from 2006-11 before coaching with the Yankees and at the University of Oklahoma. Given his age, Eli Willits will get plenty of time and space to develop in all aspects with the Nats, and the organization believes he will be a five-tool foundational piece of future Washington contenders.