Nationals 2025 Second-Round Pick Makes Eye-Opening Comments About His Draft Mates
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It feels like a while ago that the Washington Nationals shocked the baseball world with their decision to take Eli Willits No. 1 overall in the 2025 MLB draft.
Long-rumored to either select Ethan Holliday or Kade Anderson, the Nationals decided to go the prep route with someone who many analysts didn't have as a top-three player in the class.
That doesn't mean there isn't a lot to like about Willits, though.
He's an athletic infielder with a great hit tool who could develop into a difference maker for Washington at some point in his career. But that was just the latest example of a head-scratching decision the organization has made during their current rebuilding phase.
Willits might have gotten the majority of the attention when it comes to their 2025 draft class, but that doesn't mean others who were selected behind him can't develop into elite players for this franchise.
Someone the Nationals have high hopes for is second-round pick Ethan Petry.
2nd-rder Ethan Petry signs w/@Nationals for $2.09 million (slot 49 value = $1,984,200). South Carolina OF, plus-plus raw power, 54 HR in three years w/Gamecocks, @OfficialCCBL MVP in 2024. @MLBDraft pic.twitter.com/XzEevJsnjW
— Jim Callis (@jimcallisMLB) July 25, 2025
Selected 49th overall and signed to a contract, the power-hitting first baseman/corner outfielder was the only collegiate player drafted by Washington with their first five round picks.
Coming off his incredible career at South Carolina, there's a good chance he can climb quickly through the pipeline and be the first one out of this 2025 class to make a name for himself at the big league level.
But it's what Petry said about his draft mates that should catch the attention of this fanbase.
Ethan Petry Says 2025 Draft Class Has Great Character
When speaking with Bobby Blanco of MASN about a wide range of topics, including his professional career getting started and how his collegiate experience could help him get adjusted quickly, he dropped that interesting nugget.
"I think we have the one of the best draft classes character-wise," he said. "And I think they did a really good job with who they selected in Coy James, Miguel Sime, Eli Willits."
Miguel Sime Jr. and Coy James were both taken after Petry, with Sime being selected in the fourth round and James getting taken in the fifth.
Both prep players, this duo has the tools that could have gotten them selected in the first round.
Sime throws a triple-digits fastball already at the prep level, and James has an elite hit tool and was a standout on the prep showcase circuit and with Team USA.
When players drop further than they believe they should have, sometimes that can cause issues, especially for those coming out of high school who haven't faced much adversity yet in their playing careers.
But based on what Petry is saying, that isn't the case here.
Hopefully this group of guys can become the next wave of elite players for the Nationals. Because even though Willits is going to get the headlines, the rest of the class is just as important.
