nn”,”providerName”:”Twitter”,”providerUrl”:”https://twitter.com”,”thumbnail_url”:null,”type”:”oembed”,”width”:550,”contentType”:”rich”},{“__typename”:”Markdown”,”content”:”“I’m ready to get out there and play,” Willits said on Saturday. “I set a goal to be in the big leagues by the time I’m 20, and that’s something I’m really excited to do. Hopefully, I get out there and start playing well, and that can be something that I can accomplish in the next few years.”nnThe Nationals signed Willits to an $8.2 million bonus, according to MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis, breaking the record for a high school player set by Eli’s close friend Jackson Holliday in 2022 ($8.19 million). It was just under 75 percent of the slot value that would have been guaranteed had Willits participated in the Draft Combine.”,”type”:”text”},{“__typename”:”Markdown”,”content”:”“One of the things that attracted us about Eli was how motivated he is, his work ethic, how focused he is, and so I love that about him,” interim general manager Mike DeBartolo said of Willits’ age-20 goal. “Certainly, I myself am not going to put timelines on anybody — and he hasn’t stepped on a pro field yet — but I love that that’s his outlook. And we’re certainly going to do everything we can to make that possible from our end.”nnOnly two Nats players in team history (2005-present) have debuted by the age of 20: 2010 No. 1 pick Bryce Harper and Juan Soto.nn“When we sat down and talked as a family to reclassify, that was something that led the way,” Willits said. “… Not many players can do it, so I want to be one of the very few that can.””,”type”:”text”},{“__typename”:”OEmbed”,”html”:”
the 17 year old knows cursive TOOLSY pic.twitter.com/BtsXDDBcWn
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) July 19, 2025
nnn”,”providerName”:”Twitter”,”providerUrl”:”https://twitter.com”,”thumbnail_url”:null,”type”:”oembed”,”width”:550,”contentType”:”rich”},{“__typename”:”Markdown”,”content”:”DeBartolo lauded Willits for being “so advanced for a 17-year-old.” When Willits begins his work with the player development staff in Florida, a focus will be put on establishing a routine at the pro level. On the field, the Nationals project him to stay at the shortstop position long-term.nn“I’ll start by saying, our scouting evaluations were all ‘surefire shortstop’, very steady,” DeBartolo said. “Just watching him work out at Nationals Park and take ground balls — just the way he moves, how sure-handed he is, his range, his feet, his hands, how accurate his arm is, how strong his arm is — he’s got all the tools and he just made it look easy out there. It was very impressive to see. So we have every confidence [that] he’s going to be a shortstop.””,”type”:”text”},{“__typename”:”Video”,”contentDate”:”2025-07-13T22:55:49.524Z”,”preferredPlaybackScenarioURL({“preferredPlaybacks”:”mp4AvcPlayback”})”:”https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2025/2025-07/12/fc9e4351-d43f8d7d-d0aeb589-csvm-diamondgcp-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4″,”type”:”video”,”description”:”Eli Willits describes his thoughts and emotions while sharing his gratitude for his family and the Nationals after being the No. 1 overall draft pick”,”displayAsVideoGif”:false,”duration”:”00:01:58″,”slug”:”eli-willits-on-being-drafted-no-1-overall”,”tags”:[{“__typename”:”TeamTag”,”slug”:”teamid-120″,”title”:”Washington Nationals”,”team”:{“__ref”:”Team:120″},”type”:”team”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”vod”,”title”:”vod”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”interview”,”title”:”interview”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”mlb-draft”,”title”:”MLB Draft”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”mlb-network”,”title”:”MLB Network”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”send-to-news-mlb-feed”,”title”:”Send To News MLB feed”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”imagen-feed”,”title”:”Imagen feed”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”PersonTag”,”slug”:”playerid-816113″,”title”:”Eli Willits”,”person”:{“__ref”:”Person:816113″},”type”:”player”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”team-featured”,”title”:”team featured”,”type”:”taxonomy”}],”thumbnail”:{“__typename”:”Thumbnail”,”templateUrl”:”https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/upload/{formatInstructions}/mlb/qi6iit16ctxojb8h80lu”},”title”:”Eli Willits on being drafted No. 1 overall”,”relativeSiteUrl”:”/video/eli-willits-on-being-drafted-no-1-overall”},{“__typename”:”Markdown”,”content”:”An infielder, Willits will incorporate what he learned from a star-power outfielder growing up. When his father, six-year Major League player
window.adobeAnalytics = {“reportingSuiteId”:”mlbglobal08,mlbcom08″,”linkInternalFilters”:”mlb”}
window.globalState = {“tracking_title”:”Major League Baseball”,”lang”:”en”}
window.appId = ”
/*–>*/
26 minutes ago
