ATLANTA (AP) \u2014 The Washington Nationals selected Oklahoma high school shortstop Eli Willits on Sunday night with the No. 1 pick in Major League Baseball\u2019s amateur draft in a selection seen by some as a surprise.<\/p>\n
The 17-year-old Willits is the youngest player taken No. 1 overall since Ken Griffey Jr. with Seattle in 1987. He\u2019s the son of ex-big leaguer Reggie Willits, who played six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels and also coached with the New York Yankees.<\/p>\n
The Willits pick kicked off a record total of 17 shortstops out of 32 first-round picks. According to Baseball America, the previous record total of shortstops taken among the top 30 picks was 10 in 2021 and 2023. <\/p>\n
Willits, from Fort Cobb-Broxton High School, is a switch-hitter who is expected to develop a power swing.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like I have good hitability and I\u2019m going to take that to the next level,\u201d Willits said when asked about his strengths. \u201cAnd I feel like my power is up and coming, but I needed to get into an organization like the Nationals that can help develop that and take that to the next level. <\/p>\n
The draft came one week after the Nationals fired<\/a> longtime general manager Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez. The timing of the moves<\/a> added more uncertainty to a draft that might be one of the most unpredictable in recent years, including the choice of the No. 1 pick.<\/p>\n Nationals interim general manager Mike DeBartolo said Willits was the team\u2019s No. 1 choice because he was viewed as \u201cthe best hitter in the draft and best fielder in the draft\u201d while also boasting a rare \u201cmakeup and intangibles\u201d for a 17-year-old player.<\/p>\n \u201cIt made this very easy for us,\u201d DeBartolo said.<\/p>\n Added Nationals vice-president for amateur scouting Danny Haas: \u201cHe makes the routine plays about as easy as anybody you can see, much less a 17-year-old.\u201d <\/p>\n Willits will likely get a signing bonus below the $11.08 million value assigned to the first overall pick, allowing Washington to redistribute those savings to later selections.<\/p>\n The Los Angeles Angels added another surprise with the No. 2 pick by selecting UC-Santa Barbara right-hander Tyler Bremner. Seattle followed by taking LSU lefty Kade Anderson.<\/p>\n The Colorado Rockies picked shortstop Ethan Holliday at No. 4, landing the son of longtime Rockies star Matt Holliday. Ethan, from Stillwater, Oklahoma, was a candidate to go first overall, just like brother Jackson Holliday with did with Baltimore in 2022. They would have been the first brothers to be drafted with the first overall pick.<\/p>\n