Washington Nationals and Fredericksburg Nationals fans were treated to a big surprise on Wednesday morning as it was reported that this July’s No. 1 pick and new No. 1 prospect Eli Willits will be promoted to Single-A, set to make his FredNats debut later this week.
The news was first reported by Spencer Nusbaum of the Washington Post and further confirmed by MASN’s Bobby Blanco.
Willits became the third No. 1 pick in Nationals history and the third-youngest first overall selection in MLB Draft history when they selected him in Atlanta.
The Nationals are assigning top draft pick Eli Willits to Low-A Fredericksburg this week, according to @spencernusbaum_.
The 17-year-old infielder may see his first action with the @FXBGNats as soon as tomorrow.
— #TheNatsReport 🇺🇸 ⚾ (#@TheNatsReport)
2:08 PM • Aug 20, 2025
The shortstop out of Fort Cobb-Broxton High School in Oklahoma is still 17 years old, set to turn 18 years old in December.
He’s currently the No. 18 prospect in all of baseball and the second-highest prospect from the 2025 draft class in MLB Pipeline’s updated top 100 prospects, just behind fourth overall pick Ethan Holliday at No. 17.
It was reported on Wednesday that Willits could make his debut as early as Thursday against the Fayetteville Woodpeckers.
Your first look at Eli Willits in the Curly W👀!
— #Nationals Player Development (#@Nats_PlayerDev)
11:33 PM • Aug 6, 2025