MLB Draft shocker: Eli Willits, Oklahoma signee, goes No. 1 overall
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Eli Willits, a prized high school shortstop from Oklahoma and an Oklahoma signee, was taken by the Washington Nationals with the No. 1 overall pick in Sunday night’s Major League Baseball Draft in Atlanta.
In what was considered a stunner, the Fort Cobb, Okla., product and 17-year-old became the youngest player to be drafted first overall since Ken Griffey Jr. was picked by Seattle in 1987. Willits is the son of former major leaguer Reggie Willits and apparently the Nationals believed his monstrous upside would prove beneficial in the long run. Washington is hoping that years from now the historical selection of Willits will prove to not be the huge surprise that many were viewing it as on Sunday night.
Willits starred at Fort Cobb-Broxton High School in Oklahoma and comes with a complete package that includes a high baseball IQ. Although he’s listed as a shortstop, Willits can also play center field, so perhaps that versatility tilted things for Washington in considering Willits as its No. 1 overall prize.
In addition to playing in the majors, Willits’s father also now coaches at Oklahoma, where the younger Willits signed. He was ranked as the best prospect in this draft class by CBS Sports but was the No. 5 overall prospect, according to MLB Pipeline.
The latter didn’t matter to the Nationals, who made Willits their guy on Sunday night. The team celebrated its pick with this post:
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
