Nationals Superstar Prospect Gets Comped to Trea Turner, Francisco Lindor
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Almost a year ago, the Washington Nationals surprised a lot of people when they took Eli Willits No. 1 overall in the 2025 draft.
The 17-year-old became the youngest player ever selected No. 1 in MLB Draft history, and it went against the projections that had them either taking star prep infielder Ethan Holliday -- who is the younger brother of Baltimore Orioles star infielder Jackson Holliday and the son of multi-time All-Star Matt Holliday -- or left-handed pitcher Kade Anderson -- who had dominated the College World Series for LSU.
But right now, it's looking like the Nationals made the right pick. Willits has future star written all over him based on what he's done in his professional career to date, and that's why former MLB general manager Jim Bowden is doubling down on his previous evaluation that comped Willits to the likes of Trea Turner and Francisco Lindor.
Eil Willits Earns High Praise From Former GM
"I graded Willits — last year's No. 1 pick — as having the best hit tool in the 2025 draft class, at the time giving him a comp of somewhere between Trea Turner and Francisco Lindor. I stand by that comparison a year later," Bowden wrote for The Athletic (subscription required).
If the now-18-year-old can become anything like the players Turner and Lindor have been in their major league careers, then Washington is going to be set at shortstop for the next decade or more.
Turner, a former Nationals standout, is a three-time All-Star and two-time batting champion after he hit .304 with the Philadelphia Phillies last season. He also has a career .293 batting average and has hit 20-plus home runs four times while going over the 15-homer mark in seven out of his 12 years in the majors with 2026 still pending.
Lindor has been nothing short of elite during his career as a two-way star. Not only does he have five All-Star selections to his name, but he's also won four Silver Slugger Awards, two Gold Gloves and a Platinum Glove with an NL MVP runner-up and seven MVP top 10 finishes. He's also been a machine when it comes to hitting for power and average, as he has a career batting average of .272 with a staggering six seasons out of his 12 where he's gone over the 30-homer mark.
Given the option about who Willits could turn into, the Nationals would go with Lindor based on his elite defense and ability to hit for power and average. But even if the ceiling of Willits is what Turner has been during his career -- which could be the case based on the questions about the pop that Willits has -- then that would be a massive win for Washington.
Bowden is excited to see how Willits performs in the upcoming MLB Futures Game, as the former GM stated "I absolutely love this player" and that he views Willits "as a future superstar."
If Willits is able to turn heads during this showcase event against some of the other best prospects across the sport, then his leap into true stardom around the baseball world is going to happen very quickly.
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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