Minor League Baseball

Washington Nationals No. 1 Draft Pick Joins Ken Griffey Jr. in Incredible MLB Draft History

The Nationals surprisingly took Oklahoma high school shortstop Eli Willits at No. 1 overall on Sunday.
Brady Farkas|
Eli Willits is drafted by the Washington Nationals with the first pick during the first round of the MLB Draft at The Coca-Cola Roxy on July 13.
Eli Willits is drafted by the Washington Nationals with the first pick during the first round of the MLB Draft at The Coca-Cola Roxy on July 13. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

In this story:

Washington NationalsSeattle Mariners

The Washington Nationals took Oklahoma high school shortstop Eli Willits at No. 1 in the 2025 MLB Draft on Sunday night. It was a bit of a surprise, as many expected them to select pitcher Kade Anderson of LSU, but it's another pick that gives hope to a Nationals franchise that is currently in last place in the National League East.

Extremely young for a member of the Class of 2025, Willits is also part of some unique MLB draft history, according to Sarah Langs of MLB.com:

Eli Willits is 17 years, 216 days old, the third-youngest player to be drafted #1 overall in the June/July primary draft, older than only:

1968 Tim Foli: 17y, 180d
1987 Ken Griffey Jr.: 17y, 193d

h/t @EliasSports

That's some illustrious company for Willits to be in as Griffey is one of the most iconic players in baseball history. He made 13 All-Star Game appearances and won 10 Gold Glove awards. He hit 630 career home runs and is the most popular player in Seattle Mariners history. He is a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.

As for Foli, he spent 16 years in the big leagues, carving his own successful career with the New York Mets, Montreal Expos, San Francisco Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates, California Angels, New York Yankees and Pittsburgh Pirates. A career .251 hitter, he hit 25 homers and won the World Series with the Pirates in 1979.

Eli Willits is the son of former big leaguer Reggie Willits, who played parts of six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels. The elder Willits was a .258 career hitter with 40 stolen bases.

Related MLB Stories

HISTORIC ALL-STAR GAME: The Tigers will have four All-Stars starting on Tuesday night, capping off a phenomenal first half for the best team in the American League. CLICK HERE:

TRADE PARTNERS: After a difficult first half, the Orioles could be ready to sell, but who is for sale? CLICK HERE:

GOIN' AFTER EACH OTHER: Former San Francisco Giants slugger Will Clark is not a fan of Boston Red Sox broadcaster Will Clark. CLICK HERE:

Published | Modified
Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is the senior writer for “Minor League Baseball on SI’’ and the host of “The Payoff Pitch’’ podcast, which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. Follow Brady on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady.

Home/MLB DRAFT