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High school shortstop Eli Willits became the latest teenager to take a big step in making his professional baseball dreams come true.
The Washington Nationals selected Willits with the No. 1 overall pick of the MLB amateur draft on Sunday night.
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All-state baseball player of the year, Fort Cobb-Broxton’s Eli Willits, is pictured in Edmond, Okla., Friday, June 6, 2025. (BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
At 17 years old, he’s the youngest player taken No. 1 since Ken Griffey Jr. in 1987 with the Seattle Mariners.
He’s the son of ex-major leaguer Reggie Willits, who played for the Los Angeles Angels and was a coach with the New York Yankees.
Willits played baseball at Fort Cobb-Broxton High School in Oklahoma. He’s a switch-hitting shortstop who is expected to put more power into his