The Washington Nationals are promoting shortstop and 2025 No. 1 overall draft pick Eli Willits to Double-A Harrisburg, per Spencer Nusbaum. Willits, an 18-year-old drafted out of Fort Cobb-Broxton High School in Fort Cobb, Oklahoma, made his professional debut in Class-A last season, playing 15 games and posting a .757 OPS across 50 at-bats to close out the season. He began the 2026 season in Class-A as well, though spent just 47 games there after he posted a .918 OPS with six homers and 37 RBIs while swiping 29 bases.
He posted similar numbers after the Nationals promoted him to High-A, hitting seven homers and driving in 33 runs through 64 games. His OPS dipped to .812 in High-A, though it is still an extremely impressive number. Willits also had a stellar record on the base paths in High-A, successfully stealing 31 bags.
He also showed improved plate discipline after his promotion, walking nearly as much as he struck out throughout his final 64 games in A ball. The 18-year-old switch hitter currently ranks as MLB's No. 4 prospect, only ranking behind the Brewers' Jesus Made, the Athletics' Leo De Vries and the Red Sox's Franklin Arias, all of whom are also shortstops. MLB projects Willits to reach MLB at some point during the 2028 season, though he has some competition at the big league level.
All-Star shortstop CJ Abrams has taken the majority of the Nationals' reps at shortstop this season, though he has also seen some time at second base as of late with Nasim Nunez filling in as the shortstop. Abrams is under team control through the 2028 season, and Nunez won't reach free agency until the 2031 season, so coming up before Abrams departs could pose an issue for last year's top draft pick. That being said, Willits' skillset appears to be far more effective than Nunez's, as he has far more pop in his bat with comparable speed to the Nationals' utility infielder.
If Willits continues to trend upwards for the Nationals, he could make a huge difference for the team when he reaches the majors in the near future.
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