Nationals take Eli Willits with No. 1 pick in MLB draft, first of record 17 first-round shortstops

ATLANTA (AP) — The Washington Nationals selected Oklahoma high school shortstop Eli Willits on Sunday night with the No. 1 pick in Major League Baseball’s amateur draft in a selection seen by some as a surprise.

The 17-year-old Willits is the youngest player taken No. 1 overall since Ken Griffey Jr. with Seattle in 1987. He's 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.

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.

Willits, from Fort Cobb-Broxton High School, is a switch-hitter who is expected to develop a power swing.

“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 draft came one week after the Nationals fired longtime general manager Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez. The timing of the moves 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.

Nationals 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.”

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.

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.

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.

Colorado shared an image on social media of a young Ethan Holliday wielding a purple bat at Coors Field while sucking on a pacifier.

“The Rockies organization, I’m just so thankful,” Ethan Holliday said. “Obviously with the family and the background and my dad being drafted by them, that just adds such a cool thing. And knowing everybody in the organization since I was born, I’m super thankful.”

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.

A third Corona High School player, shortstop Brady Ebel, was the No. 32 pick in the first round by Milwaukee.

There were only two catchers selected in the first round, and both landed with Baltimore. The Orioles picked Ike Irish from Auburn at No. 19 and Caden Bodine from Coastal Carolina at No. 30.

Texas, San Francisco, Tampa Bay and Minnesota also took shortstops before Texas high schooler Kayson Cunningham, the No. 18 overall pick by Arizona, became the 11th shortstop drafted.

Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred was greeted with boos by fans at the draft held at the Roxy Theater at The Battery, adjacent to the Braves’ Truist Park two days before MLB's All-Star Game. Manfred noted the Braves chose eventual Hall of Famer Chipper Jones with the No. 1 overall pick and said this draft is “a chance for a team to make a franchise-altering selection like the Braves made in 1990.”

The first three rounds were scheduled for Sunday night, with the remainder of the draft to follow on Monday.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB

Xavier Scruggs, former professional MLB player looks at specialized bats before the first round of the MLB baseball draft Sunday, July, 13, 2025 in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Specialized baseball bats are seen on display before the first round of the MLB baseball draft Sunday, July, 13, 2025 in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Specialized baseball bats are seen on display before the first round of the MLB baseball draft Sunday, July, 13, 2025 in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred speaks during the first round of the MLB baseball draft Sunday, July, 13, 2025 in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred speaks during the first round of the MLB baseball draft Sunday, July, 13, 2025 in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

The Washington Nationals select Eli Willits, of Oklahoma in the first round of the MLB baseball draft Sunday, July, 13, 2025 in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Dallas (7-8-1) at N.Y. Giants (3-13)

Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, Fox

BetMGM NFL Odds: Cowboys by 3 1/2

Against the spread: Cowboys 7-9; Giants 7-8-1

Series record: Dallas leads 78-47-2.

Last week: Cowboys beat Commanders 30-23; Giants beat Raiders 34-10.

Last meeting: Dallas beat Washington 40-37 in OT on Sept. 14.

Cowboys offense: overall (1), rush (9), pass (1), scoring (4)

Cowboys defense: overall (30), rush (t20), pass (32), scoring (32)

Giants offense: overall (15), rush (6), pass (21), scoring (21)

Giants defense: overall (29), rush (30), pass (20), scoring (26)

Turnover differential: Cowboys minus-8; Giants minus-3

QB Dak Prescott has a 14-game winning streak against the Giants since two of his losses in a 13-3 rookie season in 2016 came against them. It’s the second-longest winning streak against a single opponent in NFL history behind Bob Griese, who beat Buffalo 17 consecutive times from 1968-79. Prescott will get credit for a Dallas victory because he is expected to start. The question is how long he will play in a finale with no playoff implications. Either way, this will go down as one of Prescott’s best seasons. He enters the final week first in the NFL with 4,482 yards passing.

WR Wan'Dale Robinson gets to put the finishing touches on his case for a new contract, either with the team that drafted him or elsewhere. Robinson last week became the first player 5-foot-8 or shorter to eclipse 1,000 yards receiving since 5-7 Richard Johnson in 1989 and just the third since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. And he's playing against a Dallas secondary without Trevon Diggs, who was released on Tuesday.

Cowboys' offensive line vs. Giants' pass rush. New York's Brian Burns trails only Cleveland record-chasing Myles Garrett in sacks with a career-high 16 1/2, while rookie Abdul Carter has heated up with 3 1/2 over the past four games. Dallas would like to keep Prescott upright, no matter how long he plays.

Cowboys: RBs Javonte Williams (stinger) and Malik Davis (calf/eye) have been ruled out. The backs with a chance to be active have 54 career carries among them: FB Hunter Luepke (32) and rookies Jaydon Blue (22) and Phil Mafah (0). Mafah has been out all season with a shoulder injury, and is listed as questionable ... LB DeMarvion Overshown and rookie CB Shavon Revel have been dealing with concussions and won't play.

Giants: Two starters in the secondary are out: CB Cor'Dale Flott (knee) and S Jevon Holland (knee/concussion).

The Cowboys have won nine in a row against the Giants and 16 of the past 17. It's the longest active series in the league. Dallas' last winning streak this long was against Carolina from 1998-2012. ... Each team has been eliminated from playoff contention. ... The Cowboys are trying to avoid consecutive losing seasons for the first time since going 5-11 under coach Dave Campo from 2000-02. ... New York can still secure the top draft pick with a loss and Las Vegas victory against Kansas City or could drop as low as No. 7. ... This is expected to be interim coach Mike Kafka's final game with the Giants.

Cowboys WR George Pickens needs 80 yards receiving to reach 1,500 in his Dallas debut after the offseason trade from Pittsburgh. His only 1,000-yard season in three years with the Steelers came in 2023, when he had 1,140. … Ferguson needs one touchdown catch to tie the franchise tight end record of nine, held by Jason Witten and Billy Joe Dupree. … In their Week 2 game, K Brandon Aubrey had a tying 64-yard field goal on the final play of regulation and a winning 46-yarder as time expired in overtime in the 40-37 Dallas victory. ... Giants rookie QB Jaxson Dart has accounted for 22 TDs (13 passing and nine rushing) with just five interceptions, in his first 11 professional starts. ... Robinson led the team with 113 yards receiving at Las Vegas. He had 142 in Week 2 at Dallas, which was before top receiver Malik Nabers was knocked out for the season with a torn ACL in his right knee. ... LB Bobby Okereke intercepted Geno Smith and had seven tackles last week. ... CB Deonte Banks returned a kickoff 95 yards for a TD against the Raiders.

Daily fantasy players might be able to cash in if Giants RB Tyrone Tracy has another big game rushing and receiving.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

FILE - Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) is sacked by Kayvon Thibodeaux (5) during a NFL football game against the New York Giants on Sept. 14, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Matt Patterson, File)

FILE - Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens (3) carries the ball after reception during a NFL football game against the New York Giants on Sept. 14, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Matt Patterson, File)