Last night, number 1 overall pick Eli Willits made his professional debut. He not only lived up to the hype, but he was better than expected. At the tender age of 17, Eli Willits had a three hit day facing off against grown men.
Seeing Willits operate in the box last night was so impressive. His contact skills were on full display, as was his extremely high motor. Willits is cool as an assassin in the box but is a lunatic on the bases, sometimes being too aggressive. However, it was so cool to see such a young guy look so comfortable in his debut against guys up to five years older than him.
To get Eli Willits up to speed, he was placed in the 7 hole. I have a feeling that won’t be lasting too long. In his first at bat, Willits grounded into a fielder’s choice, but it was still a productive AB. There were guys on first and third with one out. Willits grounded to second and beat out the throw to avoid the double play and drive in the run.
However, it only got better from there. In his second AB, Willits got his first career hit, but got thrown out at second trying to extend it into a double. Some youthful enthusiasm got him thrown out at second, but hey, the kid will learn.
In his next at bat, Willits drove a clean single into right to get another RBI. This was my favorite swing of his. It was such a pure stroke where you got to see him make some really clean contact. This hit drove in another run, giving the youngster his second RBI of the night.
Then Willits showed a different side of his game. Facing a guy throwing in the mid-90’s, 17 year old Eli Willits calmly drew a walk. That plate discipline is an underrated part of his game. Scouts think he will draw plenty of walks as he works his way to the majors thanks to his understanding of the strike zone.
It is why some compare him to Geraldo Perdomo of the Diamondbacks. If that comparison sounds underwhelming, do yourself a favor and check out the numbers Perdomo is putting up. He only has about 15 homer power, but he does everything else at such a high level. This season, Perdomo has been one of the 15-20 best players in baseball.
Back to Willits, in his final at bat, he showed his hitting ability and hustle again. On a ball that was headed down the line, the first baseman made a great diving play to rob it, but Willits beat out the throw. That gave him a three hit, one walk, one rbi, one stolen base night in his pro debut at just 17.
You can’t ask for a much better debut, especially from such a young player. He clearly needs to add some strength to take his game to that next level. However, he was the youngest player in the draft and he does everything else so well.
Eli Willits does not need 30 homer power to be a star player. He is a guy who won’t strike out a ton, play good defense and run the bases very well. One thing we did not get to see tonight was Willits from the right side of the plate. It seems like there are not many American switch hitters left, but Willits is one. I am excited to see him from the right side.
Overall, this was a dream debut for the kid. He showed his hitting ability and gave fans something to dream on. Willits said his goal was to be in the big leagues when he is 20 years old. That goal seems like something he can achieve. It is only one game and there will be bigger challenges to come, but 17 year old Eli Willits passed his first test with flying colors.