ATLANTA — The Washington Nationals ushered in a new era in franchise history by plucking a second-generation star who may soon emerge as a D.C. cornerstone.
Yet the move was something of a shocker.
Eli Willits, son of former major league outfielder Reggie Willits, was picked first by the Nationals in Sunday’s Major League Baseball draft, the club opting for the less-heralded Oklahoma prep shortstop coming into this season.
In doing so, they bypassed Ethan Holliday, son of seven-time All-Star Matt Holliday, who was aiming to follow in older brother Jackson’s footsteps by getting selected first overall.
‘I’m excited, thankful to the Nationals organization for giving me this chance… I’m ready to get to work,’ Willits told MLB Network.
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Willits’ selection comes one week after owner Mark Lerner signaled a massive shift in organization structure, firing president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez, who served as architect and shepherd, respectively, of their 2019 World Series champions.
While such a drastic move might have seemed extreme one week before owning the No. 1 pick, the Nationals had narrowed their gaze for their selection considerably by then, with Holliday, collegiate left-hander Kade Anderson and Willits the industry consensus finalists.
Ultimately, they chose Willits, who reclassified to this draft to be eligible at just 17 years old. It’s possible the Nationals cut a deal with Willits to provide a bigger bonus pool for subsequent picks.
‘I’m a player that’s going to give everything I’ve got,” Willits said. “I feel like my power is up-and-coming, but I needed to get into an organization like the Nationals that could develop that and take it to the next level.”
Willits visited Nationals Park the first week of June as the club narrowed its field of potential picks. Ultimately, they chose a left-handed infielder who batted .473 with 14 doubles, one triple, eight home runs, 34 RBI, 27 walks, 47 stolen bases and 56 runs scored while striking out just four times for Fort Cobb-Broxton High School, a squad that squared off with Holliday’s Stillwater High School team earlier this season.
The slot value of the No. 1 pick this season is $11.075 million.
2025 MLB Draft picks tracker
Washington Nationals – Eli Willits, SS, Fort Cobb-Broxton HS (OK)
Los Angeles Angels – Tyler Bremner, RHP, UC Santa Barbara
Seattle Mariners – Kade Anderson, LHP, LSU
Colorado Rockies – Ethan Holliday, SS, Stillwater HS (OK)
St. Louis Cardinals – Liam Doyle, LHP, Tennessee
Pittsburgh Pirates – Seth Hernandez, RHP, Corona Senior HS (CA)
Miami Marlins – Aiva Arquette, SS, Oregon State
Toronto Blue Jays – JoJo Parker, RHP, Purvis HS (MS)
Cincinnati Reds – Steele Hall, SS, Hewitt-Trussville HS (AL)
Chicago White Sox – Billy Carlson, SS, Corona Senior HS (CA)
Athletics – Jamie Arnold, LHP, Florida State
Texas Rangers – Gavin Fien, SS, Great Oak HS (CA)
San Francisco Giants – Gavin Kilen, SS, Tennessee
Tampa Bay Rays – Daniel Pierce, SS, Mill Creek HS (GA)
Boston Red Sox – Kyson Witherspoon, RHP, Oklahoma
Minnesota Twins – Marek Houston, SS, Wake Forest
Chicago Cubs – Ethan Conrad, OF, Wake Forest
Arizona Diamondbacks – Kayson Cunningham, SS, Lady Bird HS (TX)
Baltimore Orioles – Ike Irish, C/OF, Auburn
Milwaukee Brewers – Andrew Fischer, 3B, Tennessee
Houston Astros – Xavier Neyens, SS, Mt. Vernon HS (WA)
Atlanta Braves – Tate Southisene, SS, Basic HS (NV)
Kansas City Royals – Sean Gamble, OF, IMG Academy (FL)
Detroit Tigers – Jordan Yost, SS, Sickles HS (FL)
San Diego Padres – Kruz Schoolcraft, LHP, Sunset HS (OR)
Philadelphia Phillies – Gage Wood, RHP, Arkansas
Cleveland Guardians – Jace LaViolette, OF, Texas A&M
Prospect Promotion Incentive picks
28. Kansas City Royals – Josh Hammond, SS, Wesleyan Christian Academy (NC)
Compensation picks
29. Arizona Diamondbacks – Patrick Forbes, RHP, Louisville
30. Baltimore Orioles – Caden Bodine, C, Coastal Carolina
31. Baltimore Orioles – Wehiwa Aloy, SS, Arkansas
32. Milwaukee Brewers – Brady Ebel, SS, Corona Senior HS (CA)
Competitive Balance Round A
33. Boston Red Sox – Marcus Phillips, RHP, Tennessee
34. Detroit Tigers – Michael Oliveto, C, Hauppauge HS (NY)
35. Seattle Mariners – Luke Stevenson, C, North Carolina
36. Minnesota Twins – Riley Quick, RHP, Alabama
37. Baltimore Orioles – Slater de Brun, OF, Summit HS (OR)
Continued first round (CBT penalties)
38. New York Mets – Mitch Voit, two-way player, Michigan
39. New York Yankees – Dax Kilby, SS, Newman HS (GA)
40. Los Angeles Dodgers – Zachary Root, LHP, Arkansas
Continued Competitive Balance Round A
41. Los Angeles Dodgers – Charles Davalan, OF, Arkansas
42. Tampa Bay Rays – Brendan Summerhill, OF, Arizona
43. Miami Marlins – Cam Cannarella, OF, Clemson
Second round
44. Chicago White Sox – Jaden Fauske, OF, Nazareth Academy (IL)
45. Colorado Rockies – JB Middleton, RHP, Southern Mississippi
46. Miami Marlins – Brandon Compton, OF, Arizona State
47. Los Angeles Angels – Chase Shores, RHP LSU
48. Athletics – Devin Taylor, OF, Indiana
49. Washington Nationals – Ethan Petry, OF, South Carolina
50. Pittsburgh Pirates – Angel Cervantes, RHP, Warren HS (CA)
51. Cincinnati Reds – Aaron Watson, RHP, Trinity Christian Academy (FL)
52. Texas Rangers – AJ Russell, RHP, Tennessee
53. Tampa Bay Rays – Cooper Flemming, SS, Ganesha HS (CA)
54. Minnesota Twins – Quentin Young, SS, Oaks Christian HS (CA)
55. St. Louis Cardinals – Ryan Mitchell, OF, Houston HS (TN)
56. Chicago Cubs – Kane Kepley, OF, North Carolina
57. Seattle Mariners – Nick Becker, SS, Don Bosco Prep HS (NJ)
58. Baltimore Orioles – Joseph Dzierwa, LHP Michigan State
59. Milwaukee Brewers – J.D. Thompson, LHP Vanderbilt
60. Atlanta Braves – Alex Lodise, SS Florida State
61. Kansas City Royals – Michael Lombardi, RHP, Tulane
62. Detroit Tigers – Malachi Witherspoon, RHP, Oklahoma
63. Philadelphia Phillies – Cade Obermueller, LHP, Iowa
64. Cleveland Guardians – Dean Curley, SS, Tennessee
65. Los Angeles Dodgers – Cam Leiter, RHP, Florida State
Competitive Balance Round B
66. Cleveland Guardians – Aaron Walton, OF, Arizona
Compensation picks
67. Tampa Bay Rays – Dean Moss, OF, IMG Academy (FL)
68. Milwaukee Brewers – Frank Cairone, LHP, Delsea Reg HS (NJ)
Competitive Balance Round B
69. Baltimore Orioles – JT Quinn, RHP, Georgia
70. Cleveland Guardians – Will Hynes, RHP, Lorne Park SS (Canada)
71. Kansas City Royals – Justin Lamkin, LHP, Texas A&M
72. St. Louis Cardinals – Tanner Franklin, RHP, Tennessee
73. Pittsburgh Pirates – Murf Gray, 3B, Fresno State
74. Colorado Rockies – Max Belyeu, OF, Texas
Compensation pick
75. Boston Red Sox – Henry Godbout, SS, Virginia
Third round
76. Chicago White Sox – Kyle Lodise, SS, Georgia Tech
77. Colorado Rockies – Ethan Hedges, 3B, USC
78. Miami Marlins – Max Williams, OF, Florida State
79. Los Angeles Angels – Johnny Slawinski, LHP, Lyndon B. Johnson HS (TX)
80. Washington Nationals – Landon Harmon, RHP, East Union HS (MS)
81. Toronto Blue Jays – Jake Cook, LHP Southern Mississippi
82. Pittsburgh Pirates – Easton Carmichael, C, Oklahoma
83. Cincinnati Reds – Mason Morris, RHP, Ole Miss
84. Texas Rangers – Josh Owens, two-way player, Providence Academy (TN)
85. San Francisco Giants – Trevor Cohen, OF, Rutgers
86. Tampa Bay Rays – Taitn Gray, C, Dallas Center-Grimes HS (IA)
87. Boston Red Sox – Anthony Eyanson, RHP, LSU
88. Minnesota Twins – James Ellwanger, RHP, Dallas Baptist
89. St. Louis Cardinals – Jack Gurevitch, 1B, University of San Diego
90. Chicago Cubs – Dominick Reid, RHP, Abilene Christian
91. Seattle Mariners – Griffin Hugus, RHP, Miami (FL)
92. Arizona Diamondbacks – Brian Curley, RHP, Georgia
93. Baltimore Orioles – RJ Austin, OF, Vanderbilt
94. Milwaukee Brewers – Jacob Morrison, RHP, Coastal Carolina
95. Houston Astros – Ethan Frey, OF, LSU
96. Atlanta Braves – Cody Miller, SS, East Tennessee State
97. Kansas City Royals – Cameron Millar, RHP, Alhambra HS (CA)
98. Detroit Tigers – Ben Jacobs, LHP, Arizona State
99. San Diego Padres – Ryan Wideman, OF, Western Kentucky
100. Philadelphia Phillies – Cody Bowker, RHP, Vanderbilt
101. Cleveland Guardians – Nolan Schubart, OF, Oklahoma State
102. New York Mets – Antonio Jimenez, SS, Central Florida
103. New York Yankees – Kaeden Kent, SS, Texas A&M
104. Los Angeles Dodgers – Landyn Vidourek, OF, Cincinnati
Compensation pick
105. Los Angeles Angels – Nate Snead, RHP, Tennessee
Marcus Phillips: Red Sox draft Tennessee pitcher
Marcus Phillips went from South Dakota to junior college to Tennessee baseball starting pitcher to first-round pick in the MLB Draft.
Phillips was picked with the No. 33 by the Boston Red Sox in the 2025 MLB Draft on July 13, the fourth Vols pick already.
Pitcher Liam Doyle was picked No. 5 by the St. Louis Cardinals. Shortstop Gavin Kilen was chosen No. 13 by the San Francisco Giants. First baseman/third baseman Andrew Fischer was selected No. 20 by the Milwaukee Brewers.
Wehiwa Aloy draft: Orioles take Arkansas standout
The projected slot value at No. 31 is $3.04 million.
The 6-foot-2 Hawaiian was the SEC Player of the Year and became the Razorbacks’ third Golden Spikes Award winner this spring. He led Arkansas in nearly every major offensive category, including slugging percentage (.673), on-base plus slugging (1.107), hits (93), runs scored (81), doubles (19), triples (2), home runs (21), extra-base hits (42), multi-hit games (30) and total bases (179). — Jackson Fuller, Fort Smith Southwest Times Record
Gage Wood drafted by Philadelphia Phillies
Arkansas baseball pitcher Gage Wood was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies with the 26th overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft Sunday night, giving the Razorbacks their 11th first-round selection in program history.
The Batesville native made 10 starts in 2025 after battling a shoulder injury that required Wood to miss seven weekend starts. He returned in mid-April and finished his junior season by going 4-1 with a 3.82 ERA.
Andrew Fischer to Milwaukee Brewers
With their first of five picks on the opening night of the Major League Baseball draft, the Milwaukee Brewers went to a corner bat out of college, third baseman Andrew Fischer from the University of Tennessee.
Ike Irish drafted by Baltimore Orioles
For the first time in five years, an Auburn baseball player has been selected in the first round of the MLB Draft.
The projected slot value of the No. 19 pick in this year’s draft is $4,420,900.
Gavin Fien MLB draft: Giants take Tennessee shortstop
Gavin Kilen is Tennessee baseball’s first hitter off the board in the 2025 MLB Draft, going No. 13 to the Giants.
Kilen is Tennessee’s second pick of the 2025 MLB Draft joining pitcher Liam Doyle as UT had two first-round picks in the draft for the third time in four drafts. Doyle was picked No. 5 by the Cincinnati Reds.
Billy Carlson to White Sox at No. 10
Billy Carlson, the top-ranked player in Tennessee baseball’s recruiting class, was picked in the first round of the 2025 MLB Draft.
Carlson was selected No. 10 by the Chicago White Sox on July 13. He was the second straight Tennessee signee picked. Alabama shortstop Steele Hall was picked No. 9 by the Cincinnati Reds.
Liam Doyle drafted by Cardinals
Liam Doyle set a new standard for Tennessee baseball in the MLB draft under Tony Vitello.
The Vols pitcher was selected No. 5 overall by the St. Louis Cardinals, making him the highest-draft player in Vitello’s tenure and the second highest-drafted pitcher in program history.
Doyle was 10-4 with a 3.20 ERA and was named the SEC pitcher of the year. He struck out a program-record 164 batters in 95⅔ innings, while walking only 32.
Doyle is the seventh first-rounder under Vitello. UT has had a first-round pick in four straight drafts and a top-10 pick in three straight drafts. Christian Moore was picked No. 8 in the 2024 MLB Draft by the Los Angeles Angels, the previous high mark under Vitello. – Mike Wilson, Knoxville News Sentinel
How many rounds are in the MLB Draft?
There are 20 rounds in the 2025 MLB Draft, which are set to include 615 total selections.
MLB mock draft: Final predictions
Washington Nationals: Ethan Holliday, INF, Stillwater (Okla.) HS
Los Angeles Angels: Kade Anderson, LHP, LSU
Seattle Mariners: Aiva Arquette, SS, Oregon State
Colorado Rockies: Eli Willits, SS, Fort Cobb-Broxton (Okla.) HS
St. Louis Cardinals: Liam Doyle, LHP, Tennessee
Pittsburgh Pirates: Seth Hernandez, RHP, Corona (Calif.) HS
Miami Marlins: Billy Carlson, SS, Corona (Calif.) HS
Toronto Blue Jays: Jamie Arnold, LHP, Florida State
Cincinnati Reds: Kyson Witherspoon, RHP, Oklahoma
Chicago White Sox: Ike Irish, C/OF, Auburn
Check out Gabe Lacques’ full MLB mock draft here.
Who is eligible for the MLB draft?
A handful of requirements have to be met in order for a player to enter and be selected in the MLB draft.
A prospect must either be a resident or have attended a school in the United States, Canada or a U.S. territory such as Puerto Rico. MLB has a separate period in which its teams can sign international players.
Additionally, players are only eligible after they’ve graduated from high school. If they’re at a four-year college, they are eligible only three years after they originally enrolled or after their 21st birthday, whichever comes first. Conversely, players from junior colleges are eligible to be drafted at any time.
– Austin Curtright