Nationals Receive Medicore Grade for Surprising First Overall Pick in MLB Draft
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It has been an extremely disappointing first half of the season for the Washington Nationals.
Coming into 2025, this was a team that was hopeful to take a step forward in the win column and maybe be around the .500 mark. For the past two years, the Nationals have won just 71 games, and with the poor first half, they are trending toward that once again.
The rebuild for the franchise has been ongoing for quite some time now, with a fifth straight losing campaign staring them in the face.
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There are a couple of bright spots within the organization, with both James Wood and MacKenzie Gore looking like great players and perennial All-Stars. The Juan Soto trade has paid dividends with those two and CJ Abrams coming back in return, but the rest of the franchise is lagging behind.
The struggles in the first half cost both manager Dave Martinez and general manager Mike Rizzo their jobs, which was tough timing with the 2025 MLB draft right around the corner.
With a new regime in place, the Nationals certainly sent the first shockwave of the night right off the bat with their surprise selection.
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Joel Rueter of Bleacher Report recently wrote about the Nationals’ decision to select shortstop Eli Willits with the first overall pick in the 2025 MLB draft. With it coming as a bit of a surprise, he gave them a grade of a ‘B’ for the selection.
“Not going with the top talent at 1-1 is always risky, but Willits is not a huge reach as a consensus top-five player with an extremely high floor for a prep player.”
Willits wasn’t regarded as the best player in the draft, but with a new regime taking over, the draft process for Washington was likely chaotic.
Even though he might not have been the best, there is still a lot to like and a high-floor makes him an appealing safe option for a Nationals team that is struggling to get out of rebuilding mode.
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Willits will enter the organization with the potential to be a high-average hitter who can play good defense and steal a lot of bases. There doesn’t appear to be too much power as of now, and that will be something that could come with getting older and stronger.
Overall, this was a bit of a reach, but a high floor to go along with some upside makes it feel like a somewhat safe pick.
For more Nationals news, head over to Nationals On SI.
Nick Ziegler is an alumnus of the Connecticut School of Broadcasting. He has been working in sports media covering the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL for nearly a decade with various publications online. With his free time, Nick enjoys being at the Jersey Shore with his wife, daughter, and their golden retriever. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @NickZiegler20.