The Washington Nationals took a swing on Eli Willits with the No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft, and the early signs are making that decision look a lot smarter.
Willits, who was 17 when Washington made him the youngest player ever selected No. 1 overall in MLB Draft history, was not the name many expected the Nationals to call. Most projections had them leaning toward star prep infielder Ethan Holliday, the younger brother of Baltimore Orioles infielder Jackson Holliday and the son of multi-time All-Star Matt Holliday, or left-handed pitcher Kade Anderson, who had been dominant for LSU in the College World Series.
Instead, Washington went with Willits. And now, after what he has shown in his professional career so far, the buzz around him is only getting louder.
Former MLB general manager Jim Bowden is sticking with the comparison he made before the draft, putting Willits in the same conversation as Trea Turner and Francisco Lindor.
"I graded Willits - last year's No. 1 pick - as having the best hit tool in the 2025 draft class, at the time giving him a comp of somewhere between Trea Turner and Francisco Lindor. I stand by that comparison a year later," Bowden wrote for The Athletic (subscription required).
That is not a light comparison. Turner and Lindor have both built careers that would make any organization feel good about its shortstop for years.
Turner, who spent part of his career with the Nationals, is a three-time All-Star and two-time batting champion. He hit .304 with the Philadelphia Phillies last season and owns a .293 career batting average. He has also topped 20 home runs four times and reached at least 15 homers in seven of his 12 major league seasons, with 2026 still pending.
Lindor brings a different kind of star power. He has been one of the game’s best all-around players, collecting five All-Star nods, four Silver Slugger Awards, two Gold Gloves and a Platinum Glove.
He also finished second in NL MVP voting once and has seven top-10 MVP finishes. At the plate, he has a .272 career average and has cleared 30 home runs in six of his 12 seasons.
If Washington had to choose between those two versions of a Willits outcome, Lindor would be the preferred path because of the defense and the power-to-average combination. But even Turner-level production would be a major win for the Nationals, especially with questions still lingering about Willits’ pop.
Bowden, for his part, is clearly bought in. He said, "I absolutely love this player" and called Willits "as a future superstar."
The next chance for Willits to keep building that case comes in the upcoming MLB Futures Game, where Bowden will be watching closely. If he stands out against some of the best prospects in baseball, the rise to real stardom could come fast.
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