Nats draft HS shortstop Willits, 17, with No. 1 pick

ATLANTA — The Washington Nationals made a surprising selection with the No. 1 pick in the Major League Baseball draft Sunday, drafting high school shortstop Eli Willits, the son of former major league outfielder Reggie Willits.

The Nationals, navigating a major organizational shakeup over the past seven days, had been widely expected to draft either Ethan Holliday, another high school infielder, or LSU left-hander Kade Anderson.

The Los Angeles Angels selected Tyler Bremner, a 6-foot-2 right-hander from UC Santa Barbara, with the No. 2 pick — their first top-five pick since 1997.

Anderson went to the Seattle Mariners with the No. 3 pick, and Holliday, the son of former MLB outfielder Matt Holliday and brother of current Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jackson Holliday, went to the Colorado Rockies at No. 4.

The Willits pick kicked off a record total of 12 shortstops selected among the first 21 picks. The previous record total of shortstops taken among the top 30 picks was 10 in 2021 and 2023.

The 17-year-old Willits led Fort Cobb-Broxton High School in Oklahoma to their third straight state title this past season and had previously committed to Oklahoma. A 6-foot-1 switch-hitter, Willits is hailed for his bat-to-ball skills and plate discipline and is considered a strong defensive shortstop.

He’s the youngest player taken No. 1 since Ken Griffey Jr. with Seattle in 1987. His father played six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels and also coached with the New York Yankees.

“I feel like I have good hitability and I’m going to take that to the next level,” Willits said when asked about his strengths. “And 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.”

The slot value for the No. 1 pick is a record $11,075,900 this year.

It was only a week ago that the Nationals fired general manager Mike Rizzo, who was in his 17th year atop baseball operations and had a big hand in selecting Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper the previous times the franchise held the No. 1 pick — in 2009 and 2010, respectively. Nationals manager Dave Martinez was also fired last week.

Interim general manager Mike DeBartolo said Willits was the team’s No. 1 choice because he was viewed as “the best hitter in the draft and best fielder in the draft” while also boasting a rare “makeup and intangibles” for a 17-year-old player.

“It made this very easy for us,” DeBartolo said.

Added Nationals vice president for amateur scouting Danny Haas: “He makes the routine plays about as easy as anybody you can see, much less a 17-year-old.”

Bremner sits at 93 to 96 mph with his fastball, while also boasting a changeup and slider, and posted a 3.49 ERA with a Big West-leading 111 strikeouts in 77⅓ innings this season.

Anderson was named Most Outstanding Player at this year’s College World Series, winning both of his starts and posting a 0.56 ERA while leading the LSU Tigers to their second championship in three years. Before that, he led Division I with 180 strikeouts and 119 innings and was a Golden Spikes Award semifinalist, following in the success of former LSU pitcher and 2023 No. 1 pick, Paul Skenes.

Holliday, the Oklahoma Gatorade Player of the Year, batted .611 with 19 homers, a 1.295 slugging percentage and a 2.038 OPS in his senior year at Stillwater High School in Oklahoma. Holliday projects to play either shortstop or third base.

“I’m super thankful for this opportunity,” Holliday told ESPN. “The Rockies are an incredible organization with which my family is very familiar, so I’m super juiced.”

His father, seven-time All-Star Matt Holliday, spent his first five seasons and the final season of his 15-year MLB career with the Rockies (2004-08, 2018). His brother Jackson Holliday was drafted No. 1 by the Orioles in 2022.

More highly rated players followed with St. Louis selecting Tennessee left-hander Liam Doyle at No. 5, followed by Pittsburgh‘s choice of right-hander Seth Hernandez from Corona (California) High School.

JoJo Parker, a shortstop from Purvis (Mississippi) High School was the No. 8 pick by Toronto. Another high school shortstop, Steele Hall from Hewitt Trussville (Alabama), was No. 9 by Cincinnati. With the No. 10 pick, the Chicago White Sox made Billy Carlson the sixth shortstop and the second player from Corona High School selected in the first 10 picks. In the 2024 draft, only 10 shortstops were taken in the top 30 picks.

The draft is 20 rounds for the fifth straight time this year, with Rounds 1 to 3, representing the first 105 picks, taking place Sunday. Rounds 4-20 will be held Monday.

ESPN Research and The Associated Press contributed to this report.