Eli Willits Gets His First Professional Home Run in Unorthodox Fashion
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Despite the frustrations regarding the pitching staff, it's been a fun season so far for the Washington Nationals when it comes to their offense.
The young lineup is one of the best units in baseball. They entered Wednesday tied for third in runs scored (99) across the majors. They are also third in batting average (.271) and are tied for fifth in homers (20), as they have shown an ability to get on base and hit for power.
It's exciting to think about what this team might look like in the future when their star prospects are ready for The Show, and one of the players everyone is keeping an eye on when it comes to his development is 2025 No. 1 overall pick Eli Willits.
Eli Willits Records First Professional Home Run
The 18-year-old achieved an important milestone during his Single-A game on Wednesday. Willits hit his first professional home run, which is a great sign since one of the things that is currently missing from his game is the power aspect.
However, the No. 1 prospect in Washington's pipeline didn't record that homer by hitting the ball over the fence. Willits' first professional longball came in an unorthodox fashion since it was an inside-the-park home run.
ELI WILLITS HAS HIS FIRST PRO HR AND IT'S AN INSIDE-THE-PARKER 🤯 pic.twitter.com/LU16GHhv3w
— Nationals Player Development (@Nats_PlayerDev) April 15, 2026
Willits ripped a ball to the right fielder that went under his glove. By the time the right fielder recovered the ball that went by him, Willits was already halfway to third base. And with his speed, he motored around third base and completed the inside-the-park home run by beating the throw home.
While this looked quite a bit different than hitting a towering shot over the fence, it was still the first professional homer for Willits. Hopefully his next one comes in the usual fashion, as that would be a good sign that the youngster has added some power element to his game.
Slow Start for Eli Willits This Season
Hitting a ball over the fence would also be a sign that Willits is figuring things out at the plate once again following a slow start to this season. Across 11 games with Single-A Fredericksburg, he's slashing .182/.321/.318 with that inside-the-park home run, three doubles and three RBIs. Willits has also struck out 13 times compared to drawing nine walks.
The reason his slow start is such a surprise is because he hit the ground running at Single-A last year after he was drafted. Willits began his professional career with a nine-game hitting streak. He also recorded multiple hits in three out of his 15 contests on his way to slashing .300/.397/.360 with a double, a triple, five RBIs and 12 strikeouts to seven walks.
There shouldn't be a ton of concern surrounding Willits' struggles thus far. He's one of the youngest players in Single-A, and he's an 18-year-old adjusting to professional baseball. Perhaps his first career home run gets him going at the plate and sets him up for a strong debut season.
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Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he worked at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad became the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continued to cover Penn State athletics. Currently, Brad is the Publisher for Washington Nationals On SI and covers multiple teams across the On SI network. He is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, where he and his co-host discuss topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai