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The Washington Nationals' rebuild continues.
Arguably, their best starting pitcher, MacKenzie Gore, was traded to the Texas Rangers on Thursday for five prospects. Washington is doing its best to stockpile minor league depth and find their Major League players of the future.
They hope Eli Willits is one of the stars of those future clubs. Born on 12/9/2007, the shortstop is the youngest player on MLB Pipeline's top 100 prospects list. Willits, ranked No. 15, was the first overall pick in last year's draft from Fort Cobb-Braxton High School in Oklahoma.
Willits' future with the Nationals
Willits won't turn 19 until December, but skipped rookie ball and went straight to Single-A for his first taste of professional baseball.
He had a .300 batting average and .757 OPS in 50 at-bats with Single-A Fredericksburg. His father, Reggie, was an outfielder for six seasons from 2006-11 with the Los Angeles Angels.
At his young age, Willits is likely still a few years away from a Major League promotion. But Nationals fans will be paying close attention to his development.
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