Eighteen-year-old shortstop Eli Willits, the first overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, made his Major League Spring Training debut for the Washington Nationals. He entered the Grapefruit League opener against the Houston Astros in the sixth inning. The Nationals won 2-1 at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches.
In the first game of Spring Training, the Washington Nationals called up Eli Willits from Minor League camp for their Grapefruit League opener against the Houston Astros on Saturday afternoon at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach, Florida. The 18-year-old shortstop, ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Nationals' top prospect and No. 13 overall in MLB, replaced starting shortstop CJ Abrams in the sixth inning during the Nationals' 2-1 victory in the home game of a split-squad matchup. Washington's other squad defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 6-2 at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium.
Willits, who was surprised by the call-up, expressed excitement about the opportunity. "It’s a great opportunity for such a young kid," Willits said. He emphasized the importance of preparedness in baseball: "I’ve always got to stay ready, I’ve always got to be prepared. That’s the game of baseball – you never know where you’re going to be or where at or when."
In his lone at-bat, Willits faced right-hander Sam Carlson, a 27-year-old who pitched for the Dodgers' Triple-A Oklahoma City affiliate last season. Willits worked a full count, seeing five cutters and one sinker: he fouled off the first pitch in the zone, took ball one, swung and missed for strike two, laid off two pitches out of the zone, and then flied out to center field.
Nationals manager Blake Butera praised Willits' composure. "It looks like he's seeing the ball well, which is good this early in spring – and especially in a Major League game," Butera said. "A year ago, he was playing in high school, and now here he is in our first Major League game at home. I think just for him to have the calmness up there, he was in total control in the box. It didn’t feel like anything was speeding up on him, so that was good to see."
Willits appeared in 15 games with Single-A Fredericksburg after the 2025 Draft, slashing .300/.397/.360 with a .757 OPS in 50 at-bats. He credited the Nationals' staff for improving his swing decisions: "The guys in the cage have really hit on swing decisions. Giving them the credit over there, they’ve really pushed on it, and that’s something that’s really helped me. I feel like I’m a very patient hitter, and I want to make pitchers come to me. And when you’re in advantage counts, you do damage."
Not projected to reach the Majors until 2028, Willits has been with the team since January for early workouts. Butera, hired from the Tampa Bay Rays organization, noted his potential: "I've been here for almost eight weeks now, and Eli has been here for the majority of those as well. He's a great kid, he's excited to be out there and I know the sky's the limit for him." Willits was drafted at 17 years and 216 days old out of Fort Cobb-Broxton High School in Oklahoma, becoming the third-youngest No. 1 pick in history and the youngest since Ken Griffey Jr. in 1987. Butera added, "All I knew is that I wished the Rays had the first pick last year, because I wanted him that badly. And now we have him, so we're good."
