The Washington Nationals STUN The Baseball World And Select SS Eli Willits! WOW!

The Washington Nationals STUN The Baseball World And Select SS Eli Willits! WOW!

The Washington Nationals just stunned the baseball world by selecting switchhitting shortstop Eli Willlets out of high school. And guys, this is a stunner. [Music] You are Locked on Nationals, your daily Washington Nationals podcast, part of the Locked On podcast network. Your team every day. Thanks for making Locked On Nationals your first listen every single day as we are free and available wherever you get your podcast. Yes, I’m your host Ryan Clary. And later on in today’s program, we will be getting into where shortstop Eli Willlet fits with the Washington Nationals because right now you’ve got CJ Abrams as your franchise shortstop. But guess what? Move out the way, CJ. We’ll discuss that later on in today’s show. And in the second segment, I have got some pros and some cons about Eli Willlets. And yes, there are a lot of pros, but there are some cons as well. Some fit both categories. We’ll have that discussion for you. But now, let me tell you, I am stunned by this selection. Quite frankly, I am just I cannot say it enough. I’m stunned. But today’s episode is brought to you by Game Time. Download the Game Time app, create an account, and use code locked on MLB for $20 off your first purchase. Everybody, ladies and gentlemen, I’m stunned with this selection. With the number one overall pick in the 2025 MLB draft, the Washington Nationals selected the shortstop from a high school in Oklahoma and it was not Ethan Holiday. It was the other guy, Eli Willis. And this is an obvious situation where the Nationals cut a deal. The Nationals obviously were very scattered on who they wanted to select. We had rumors out there of them going after Kade Anderson, the left-handed pitcher from LSU. There were rumors out there for Ethan Holiday, who is the guy that everybody thought would be the generational number one overall pick, but the Nationals ended up with the guy also from Oklahoma in high school there, except his name is Eli Willlets, and he is a switchhitting hitter, and he is a very legit prospect and the youngest prospect. is 17 years old coming into this MLB draft. And guys, I’m just not going to lie to you. This is a selection. If it was made a year ago today in the 2024 draft, I would not be happy with it. I would not be happy with this selection. But a year from last year, so now with Mike Dearalo running the system and not Mike Rizzo, I feel a lot better. I have hope. There seems to be a plan put in place here over these past two seasons in the Nationals. I feel like a good kind of vibe from this front office. I feel as if they do have a long-term plan and that they do kind of see visions of which other teams may not have seen. I take this back to when Carlos Koreah and Byron Buckton were the number one number two guys. Guys, I think a lot of people, you know, you look at MLM.com, they have Ethan Holiday and Kate Anderson, but I think a lot of people just talking about talent, they were talking about Ethan Holiday and Eli Willis. Those two guys have like the two biggest ceilings as far as this draft goes. This kind of reminds me of a situation where back when the Houston Astros selected Carlos Koreah over Byron Bucks and everybody was stunned by that selection. They were completely stunned by that pick. And I think looking at this year’s draft, this is what it kind of feels like at this point. It feels as if the Nationals just sent these shock waves throughout baseball and everyone’s kind of scratching their heads saying, “You got the wrong shortstop from Oklahoma.” And the Nationals and Mike Dearlo and their scouting in their front office is saying, “No, we don’t.” There was a lot of reports over the past few weeks, and there were plenty of them, by the way, but that the Nationals were holding these private workouts. And the one that really kind of caught on, that was interesting was Eli Willis. And again, this new regime that we expect to come into town in a few months, they’re going to look at this kid and they’re going to think he is a very, very valuable prospect and they should. I think the Nationals had made the right decision. Although I did expect them to go with Jackson or Ethan Holiday rather and I did expect them if not to go Holiday. I thought that it would be Kade Anderson from LSU. I still like this pick and I honestly think that if you do develop him correctly, this is going to make Mike Darlo a lot of money down the line because there is no question about Willlet’s talent at this point. I feel good about this selection. Maybe it’s just a few minutes removed from this and I’m like, you know what, I’m going to talk myself into this. But no, check the receipts. We’ve talked about Eli Willis before. talked about him on Friday’s show just a few days ago. Eli Willlets has a ton of talent and we’ll get more into that later on in this show. But I also want to point this out. Eli Willlet is not a Scott Boris client. A team like the Atlanta Braves, while they have been kind of shuffling this season, but you look at kind of what they have built, they have built a powerhouse of talent of guys that they have drafted and developed. None of them are Scott Boris clients. Maybe this is the new wave of Nationals thinking. Maybe this is Mike the Barlo kind of looking at ownership saying we’re new. We know that Scott Boris clients, they’re going to leave us down the road. They might be some of the best prospects, but there’s all those others out there. And you can get those guys in the building. This could be the Washington Nationals taking the number five prospect in this year’s draft and saying, “You know what? You guys might think we’re fools now for passing on Ethan Holiday, but we’re going to prove you right.” And also, again, I cannot say this enough, not a Scott Boris client. So for everyone out there who talks about James Wood and talks about McKenzie Gore and talks about Anthony Rendone and Bryce Harper and Steven Strawber, everyone’s like they’re going to leave eventually. You won’t be able to say that now. That is a good thing for this organization right now. And again, I think the Nationals did make the correct selection. When I think of this nationals regime right now, I think of a smart, analytical, savvy organization, and it’s not to say that Mike Grizzo wasn’t, but obviously the game passed him a few years ago. I think with this one, they’re thinking ahead. And I also think for this rebuild, unfortunately for some, they’re in this for the long haul. And that might be a good thing because again, Willlets is a very talented player and he does in my opinion deserve to be that number one pick. Does it come as a surprise? Definitely. But that’s not to say that he doesn’t deserve it. And also, we can even talk about this. What do the Nationals plan to do later on in this draft? What do you plan to do with the number two in the second round pick? Because you’re obviously cutting a deal for Eli Willlet. I expect them to potentially maybe get someone who might have a strong commitment to a college coming out of high school again. Maybe you get another arm. Maybe someone falls into your lap from college similar to what happened with Caleb Lomovita this past season. What we have seen with Yandi Morales a few times. The Nationals have a lot of different directions that they could go in and this makes it very interesting because again this is kind of what the good teams do. Now, I voiced my expression for how I wanted the Nationals to really hit a home run in this draft. And there were three guys that qualify as a home run in my opinion. Number one, I thought it was Ethan Holiday. Number two, I thought it was Kate Anderson, but not sure after there was Eli Willis. I like Eli Willlet’s game. And again, I think he is deserving of being that number one overall selection. And the Nationals, by the way, you just add to your pipeline of guys who have had former fathers or brothers in Major League Baseball. Eli Willis’s father is the associate head coach at the University of Oklahoma. Doesn’t that feel kind of good to have someone in your back pocket that is your father, someone who has also played in the game and he coached with the Yankees at one point in time. That feels good to me. And again, he was committed to Oklahoma, but now after you’re selected number one overall in the draft, you’re coming to Washington. And I’m feeling pretty good about this selection right now. I think the Nationals again taking the 17-year-old, who doesn’t turn 18, by the way, until December. He’s going to be in the majors by the time he’s 20 years old. This guy has a chance to be a star. And of course, as always, we’ll tell you plenty about him, plenty about Eli Willlet, and kind of the pros and the cons of this selection. But before that, I’ll tell you after this. We’ve all been there, logging on early and waiting forever for concert tickets to go on sale, only to lose your spot for a show that you’ve been dying to see. And live music should be about making memories, not dealing with the stress of ticket shopping. And that’s where Game Time comes in. Game Time makes getting concert tickets faster and easier than ever with prices that actually drop as it gets closer to Showtime. And you can save up to 60% off with their killer last minute deals. Are you tired of endless scrolling trying to find the best deal? Game time zone deals pick the best seats in your section for you. And just like normal games, they also show you where you’ll be sitting from your phone, like a real 3D image, so you can see if there’s any obstruction, see if there’s a post in your way, and of course, maybe even see if concessions are right there around you. Game time is the best way for concerts, but also ball games as well. So, take the guesswork out of buying concert and show tickets with Game Time. And download the Game Time app, create an account, and use code locked on MLB for $20 off your first purchase. Terms do apply. Again, create an account and redeem code L O C K E D O N MLB for $20 off. Download the Game Time app today. Last minute tickets, lowest price guaranteed. Thank you for making Lockdown Nationals your first listen every single day as we are free and available wherever you get your podcast. And yes, again, check us out. Look up Locked on Nationals on YouTube or Apple or Spotify to get the latest on your favorite team here in town. But we got to tell you more about your latest team in town because the Nationals, they have added another blue chip prospect into their system. So, let’s get into some of the pros of Eli Willlets. Eli Willlet is an elite defender. And yes, you heard that correctly. You might look at m.com and see Ryan. He’s a 55 grade arm and a 55 grade field. But if you talk to the scouts and if you hear what a lot of people are out there saying just about the ceiling of Willlets, this guy is going to be your long-term shortstop. He is going to be the guy going forward that is kind of like your Dansby Swanson in my opinion. I think Eli Willlets even has the potential to be a lot better than a Dansby Swanson because again Dansby Swanson when he was selected number one overall by the Dbacks nearly a decade ago, everyone thought that he was going to be this slam dunk hitter and everyone thought that he was going to be this can’t miss prospect and he was good but never necessarily lived up to the hype. And the one thing that Swanson did do was play stout defensively in Atlanta. I think this is kind of the trajectory that Eli Willlet is on. Now, with that said, you might be saying, “Well, Ryan, you just kind of slighted Dansby Swanson in his hitting.” Yeah, I guess you could say that, but I think Willlets has a higher ceiling offensively. And the thing that’s really just kind of interesting about Eli Willlets is that this guy does have room to add some power. Let me say this one more time. Number one, he’s a switch hitter. And number two, he is a 17-year-old. This guy can’t even go buy a pack of cigarettes at your local 7-Eleven. He can’t even do that until December 9th. He was born in 2007. This is by all means a baby in baseball terms. This is an infant. the room to grow and the projections surrounding him at 6 foot one 180 pounds right now. I probably think he might grow an inch or two because again he’s 17 and then also I think the power will come with that. The one thing that is intriguing about this switch hitter is that where is he kind of better? Is he better off as a lefty guy? Is he better off as a righty? Because we all know that there are certain situations where like we’ve seen with Karuise, he’s maybe more powerful from the left side of the plate or maybe have more contact from the right side of the plate. That’s the kind of thing you don’t necessarily see from prep bats because again, you can’t just look up baseball reference and find his numbers there. I think Eli Williso right now as far as contact and backed ball skills, this is your best scenario because he is considered to be one of the better hit tools in this year’s draft in the Nationals. Again, going back to the number five overall pick just a few years ago when you selected Elijah Green, Elijah Green did not have batto ball skills. He struck out nearly 20% of his at bats. Half the battle when you’re hitting is getting the ball in play and Eli Willlet does that an elite rate right now. That is a huge pro for the development of the Nationals. And outside of that, it’s just really developing and then also by far just not just developing, but also just maturing in a sense, getting older, getting bigger, and getting more experienced with the game. That is going to come with Eli Willlet. and he has got some time. This is not a 22 year old out of college. He’s five years younger than some of these guys getting selected in tonight’s draft. That is another pro for the Washington Nationals. And yeah, I’ll say it. I think he’s going to hit for some power. If you look back at CJ Abrams and when he was selected, people said that he does have the potential to be a power bat, but no one was really projecting him because he’s got this slender frame and everyone kind of knew like, well, he’s not necessarily built to be a power bat, but if he does get some bat speed in there, maybe he does have some power to come. Willlet is a bigger guy than C.J. Abrams at this point. I haven’t seen him in person at this rate. I saw a few games and a few highlights when he did play Stillwater, Oklahoma, uh, with Ethan Holiday, who was their shortstop there. But Eli Willlet, in my opinion, outside of the power bat, and maybe outside of just the bat overall, Willlets is the better player. He is by far and away the better shortstop. And also another plus, this guy’s going to steal 20 to 30 bags a year. He is a 60-grade runner and honestly I think he’s a 65 grade runner if it were up to me. One of the fastest guys in this draft. He covers a lot of range defensively over at the shortstop position. And I think again the Nationals have got themselves someone that you are going to say for the next few years say this guy is going to be your franchise shortstop. We’ll get into more of what this kind of means for C.J. Abrams cuz I do think it means something. But there is some cons with this pick as well. While I like this pick and I like the prospect of Eli Willlets and I do think this is a new regime, I do believe that Mike Dearlo and whoever comes in next, I think the Learner family understands at this point they’re going to have to go in on analytics and this is kind of an analytical pick. So you’re gonna have to have the resources here in town in order to get these things done right. Well, in Willlet’s case here, you’re going to have to develop him because while I love him, while I love the prospect, he is pretty raw. I don’t think he is raw defensively. I don’t think his speed is raw. Obviously, the speed is just there and it pops off the page in my opinion. The hit tool is also there. But when you start to see better pitching and when you start to see guys who find your tendencies and kind of figure out what you do on a 01 count and how you swing out of the zone or whatever it may be, when they find out your flaws, how do you react? That’s the thing that I am worried about because again, the Nationals in years past with projects have not necessarily done too well. They have never been the team out there that is like all in on analytics. They’ve never been that and they likely never will if we’re being honest. So the Nationals, in my opinion, I read it this way. They think that they are going to be a different organization moving forward. And honestly, quite frankly, they have to think that. And I think they will because again, they have no choice but to change at this time. You have to be better. And if Eli Willlets unfortunately does fall out, which I’m not even thinking about at this point, it’s not on him because again, this guy is a very talented prospect. He is someone again who can hit from both sides of the plate and has done it well supposedly. He has this motor and instincts that you just don’t really see with too many players. And that’s what a lot of people have said. Kylie McDaniel from ESPN was stunned with the selection, number one. But number two, raved about Eli Willis and just kind of speaking with him and all the different things out there. Scouts love this guy. And again, he’s got the makeup having a dad as a head coach in college and has a dad that has been a coach in Major League Baseball with the most successful organization in all sports with the New York Yankees. He’s got the makeup. At this point, the con is the Washington Nationals selecting him. And if they do realize that they need to step up in their analytics and that they do realize they need to step up in their developing as far as players go, that’s the big question and that’s really my con at this point. And I guess another con would be that he’s 17. Like again, there’s a lot to project with this guy, but I think the Nationals overall made the correct decision. And I love this pick for the Washington Nationals. So where does he fit moving forward? And also we’ll kind of get more into the talent of Eli Willlets after this. Thank you for making Lockdown Nationals your first listen every single day as we are free and available wherever you get your podcast. And yes, I’m your host Ryan Clary. Catch me over on Twitter, Ryanclary1. And fortunately enough, I was actually the one who broke today’s news. The Nationals will be selecting Eli Willlet with that number one overall selection. So, that was really cool. And of course, the Washington Nationals, they’ve got themselves the shortstop of the future. And that is where he fits into my picture in my opinion. I think a ceiling as far as Willlets goes and kind of a projection of what he could be or at least not a ceiling. I think a floor, let’s go with the floor for now, is Dansby Swanson. And Dan Swanson is a gold glove winning shortstop. Multi- multi-time gold glove winning shorts stop all-star caliber player. Not the best in the game, but still a very solid player who is also made of have a very good makeup. Comes from a background of family members, comes from a very good university with Vanderbilt and a lengthy history as far as baseball with them as well. I think that’s kind of his floor as far as what he could be. Again, a very good player. To me, this is a relatively safe pick. This is kind of what the Nationals need. You need an influx of talent, and that’s what you’re getting with this prep bat. So, that’s kind of like his floor. Let’s talk about the more surprising and more fun of what Eli Willlets could be at this point. And I’m going to laugh when I say this just because it makes me excited. Eli Willlets might be like a Mooky Betts kind of player. And you might be thinking to yourself, whoa, a World Series winner, an MVP caliber guy, and I’m sitting here telling you, he could be like Mookie Betts. When Mookie Betts was coming out of high school, or really just coming out with the Boston Red Sox, no one necessarily expected him to be what he is today. And I think with Eli Willlets, Eli Willlets is already the better defender because again, he is coming from the natural shortstop position. He is going to be a shortstop for his whole career. I do not doubt that. He is a great runner. He has great batto ball skills. Kind of similar to Mookie Betts, but with Betts, he finally used his small body and small frame and has turned it into a powerhitting bat while also batting above 300. That is kind of the silling ceiling here at play with Willlets. I’m not going to tell you that he’s going to win a MVP someday, but I will tell you this. Don’t be surprised if he does. The Nationals, I do believe that they’re kind of thinking in the back of their mind like this guy has the potential to be a Mooky Bets kind of player. Someone who is great defensively. someone who you look at them right now and you’re like, he is going to be our future all-star, future face of the franchise kind of guy. And while I love James Wood, James Wood is not necessarily the guy who’s, you know, he’s obviously a superstar kind of player. I’m not knocking him, but he’s not the guy that’s like putting himself out there as a team leader. That’s not necessarily what he does. But Willlets kind of has that in him. And again, I’m just kind of judging this character from what I have seen and what I have seen from Willlets is that he does have that leader capability to him. And when you are playing a shortstop position, it should go without saying that yeah, this guy should be a leader on the diamond. And that is your leader. That is your captain. And that’s kind of where the knock has been with CJ Abrams for a few years now. I love CJ, but I don’t think Eli Willlet is going to be at a casino until 6:00 a.m. And let me just say this again. I don’t want this to be a knock CJ Abrams show. I love CJ. Give him $300 million today and figure out where he plays for the rest of his career, but Eli Willlet’s going to be your shortstop. And I do believe that kind of sends a message to this clubhouse saying, “We love you, CJ, but you’re not our franchise shortstop.” And quite frankly, they’re right. I do think CJ is again someone you are going to build around and they should, but get an extension done with him and let’s find a position outside of shortstop because it’s not working for CJ at this point. And at this rate with where Eli Willis and the projections of where I think he could go, it’s a no-brainer. It is a nobrainer that the Washington Nationals move forward with this pick. And again, I think they’ve got themselves a potential Mookie Bets kind of talent. This is an extremely exciting player entering this farm system. And yes, with Travis Sakura, he’s your blue chip prospect at this point. But now you’ve also have Eli Willis. He may not be a top five prospect in baseball tomorrow, but I certainly do believe he will be a top 20 pick. And I c or a top 20 prospect rather. And I do believe going forward that this selection if the nationals can you know develop properly get the right resources in the building we are going to be thrilled for where this team is. I’m excited. You should be excited. Nationals fans, if you’re out there wondering if you can develop this guy, I hear you. I get it. I would be a little worried as well. But one thing is for sure is that Debardlo he is going to be better developing and not to you know put a wet blanket over it but you can only be better. This is the correct decision and this is what good organizations do. This is someone who has analytics in the back of his mind. This is someone who surrounds himself, by the way, with guys like Danny Hos coming from the Diamondbacks and guys like Brad Seolic coming from the Orioles who have analytics in their background. And you’re sitting there and you are going through the numbers of these selections and this is what those teams do. This is how you do it. Similar to what Mike Rizzo said, there’s a blue blueprint over at Nationals Park, but that blueprint is kind of retired at this point. You have to go with the blueprint from, let’s say, the Orioles or maybe even the Diamondbacks who have developed talent and have done pretty well for themselves these past few seasons. I’m excited about this pick and I think a lot of Nationals fans, you should be because this might be and this might bring in a new era of Nationals baseball that a lot of people could be excited for. So, as the week goes on, we’ll have a lot more about Eli Willlet and the excitement surrounding him. And of course, the Nationals select the prep high school bat from Oklahoma. And it’s not Ethan Holiday, it’s Eli Willis. What a stunner. Stay tuned all week. We’ll have a lot more here on Locked on Nationals. And really, I think again, the Nationals may have gotten a Mooky Bets kind of talent. We’ll have more as the week goes on, but until then, have a good one. Go Nets.

The Washington Nationals for the 2nd week in a row STUN the baseball community and select prep bat SS Eli Willitts #1 overall. Ryan reacts to this selection, and gives you the BEST of what Willits has to offer. Get excited DC, you have a toolsy player that will be the captain of this team eventually.

Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…
🎧 https://lockedonpodcasts.com/podcasts/locked-on-nationals/

Locked On MLB League-Wide: Every Team, Prospects & More
🎧 https://lockedonpodcasts.com/leagues/mlb/

Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Ryanclary11
Follow the show on Twitter: https://twitter.com/LO_Nationals
Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!
Supply House
Join the TradeMaster program today at SupplyHouse.com/TM and start ordering plumbing, HVAC, and electrical supplies with just a few clicks. Plus, use promo code S-H-5 for 5% off your first order. That’s SupplyHouse.com!

Monarch Money
Take control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code LOCKEDONMLB at monarchmoney.com/lockedonmlb for 50% off your first year.

Gametime
Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONMLB for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime.

FanDuel
Right now, new customers can get ONE HUNDRED FIFTY DOLLARS in BONUS BETS when your first FIVE DOLLAR BET WINS! Download the app or head to FANDUEL.COM to get started. Bet with FanDuel—Official Partner of the NBA.

FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)
#Nationals #WashingtonNationals #MLB