Eli Willitles goes to nationals in the MLB project
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The Eli Willit high school stopped has become the last teenager to take a big step to realize his professional baseball dreams.
The Washington Nationals have selected Willits with the overall choice n ° 1 of the MLB amateur draft Sunday evening.
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The baseball player of the year of all states, Eli Willits of Fort Cobb-Broxton, is represented in Edmond, Okla., Friday, June 6, 2025. (Bryan Terry / The Oklahoman / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
At 17, he was the youngest player taken n ° 1 since Ken Griffey Jr. in 1987 with the Seattle Mariners.
He is the son of the former major fever Reggie Willit, who played for Los Angeles Angels and was New York Yankees coach.
Willitles played baseball at the Lycée de Fort Cobb-Broxton in Oklahoma. There is a striking stop-curl which should put more power in its swing as it develops.
“I feel like I have a good hatability, and I’m going to pass it to the next level,” said Willita about his strength. “And I have the impression that my power is standing, but I had to enter an organization like nationals who can help develop this and go to the next level.”
Willits is 17 years old and 216 days old. Griffey had 17 and 193 days when the navies chose it n ° 1. Tim Foli, who was the first choice in 1968, was the youngest at 17, 180 days, according to mlb.com.
The Nationals of Washington select Eli Willit, from Oklahoma to the first round of the MLB baseball draft on Sunday July 13, 2025 in Atlanta. (Photo / mike stewart)
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The selection of nationals occurred a week after the organization dismissed the director Dave Martinez and the managing director Mike Rizzo.
But the acting director general of the Nationals, Mike Debartolo, argued that Willitles was the best guy on the board of directors.
“This is one of those beautiful things where scouts and analysts see things in the same way and have seen it as the best drama in the draft, the best defender of the project with just an excellent make -up, an excellent work ethics and all the incorporal assets,” said Debartolo, via mlb.com.
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred speaks during the first round of the MLB baseball recovery on Sunday July 13, 2025 in Atlanta. (Photo / mike stewart)
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Willita struck. 473 with an OPS of .912 in his last year in high school.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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