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Not that there was much reason to worry, but the Nationals will be officially signing their No. 1 draft pick less than one week after selecting him.
Eli Willits, the 17-year-old shortstop from Oklahoma who became the first player in the country drafted Sunday night, will be at Nationals Park today to formally sign his first professional contract, then be introduced both to media during an afternoon press conference and then to fans attending tonight’s game against the Padres.
MASN will televise the press conference live at 3:15 p.m.
It’s a quick turnaround for both Willits and the Nats, who agreed to a deal in short order. Terms of that deal aren’t yet known, but Willits is expected to sign for less than Major League Baseball’s suggested slot value for the No. 1 pick of $11,075,900, a move that appears to have allowed the club to go above-slot on multiple later-round picks.
The Nationals surprised some in the baseball world when they chose Willits over fellow Oklahoma high school shortstop Ethan Holliday and LSU left-hander Kade Anderson. But in a wide-open draft with no consensus best player, the Nats believe Willits was as good (if not better) than the other options and came with the added prospect of financial flexibility.
If he indeed signs for less than his slot value, the Nationals will have a larger number remaining from their total draft pool of $16,597,800 to disperse among their other picks. And already there is evidence they’re doing just that.
Fourth-round pick Miguel Sime Jr. has reportedly agreed to a $2 million deal, according to the New York Post’s Jon Heyman. Sime, a high school right-hander from New York, touted as a first or second round pick talent who fell because of his verbal commitment to attend LSU this fall, was lured to skip college thanks to a dollar amount well beyond the designated slot for the 111th overall pick ($687,800).
The Nationals also are expected to sign third-round pick Landon Harmon, a high school right-hander from Mississippi, for an above-slot number. Harmon, who committed to Mississippi State, said in a video conference with reporters Monday he intended to sign and turn pro, suggesting he already knew the dollar amount coming his way.
All told, the Nats wound up with five of the top 100 prospects in this year’s draft, according to MLB Pipeline, with Willits (fifth) joining Harmon (48th), second-round pick Ethan Petry (59th), Sime (86th) and fifth-round pick Coy James (94th).
“I think kind of view it as: You get what you pay for,” vice president of amateur scouting Danny Haas said earlier this week. “They’re very talented, all of them. Talented more than where they were selected. It’s just fortunate the opportunity arose where we could acquire them where we did.”
* MASN will debut an originally produced special, "Nats 20: Memorable Moments," featuring the 20 greatest moments in club history as selected by fans. The show will air Monday at 10 p.m., with a re-airing scheduled for July 29 at 6:30 p.m. on MASN2.
