Eli Willits is ready to make his minor league debut.
The Nationals are transferring this year’s No. 1 draft pick to Single-A Fredericksburg and plan for him to debut Thursday night, a source familiar with the organization’s plan confirmed.
Since signing for $8.2 million last month, Willits has been working out at the team’s spring training complex in West Palm Beach. He arrived too late to play in the Rookie-level Florida Complex League but still got reps over the last few weeks in intrasquad games and unofficial games against other organizations that train in the vicinity.
The question all along was whether the Nationals would decide the 17-year-old shortstop was ready to play with an affiliate. They ultimately decided he is ready and will now get a brief window to watch him play against minor leaguers who in most cases are several years older than Willits.
The FredNats are home this week against Fayetteville, then embark on a six-game trip next week to Lynchburg before returning home for the season’s final week against Carolina. The Single-A Carolina League regular season ends Sept. 7, so at most Willits will play in 18 games between now and then.
The Oklahoma shortstop has long thrived against older competition, whether at the high school or national level. He decided to become draft-eligible a year early and in the process became the third-youngest No. 1 pick in MLB Draft history.
“I’m just ready to get out there and play,” Willits said at his July 19 introductory press conference at Nationals Park. “I set a goal to be in the big leagues by the time I’m 20. That’s something I’m really excited to do, and hopefully I get there and start playing well, and that can be something I accomplish in the next few years.”
The Washington Post was first to report Willits' promotion to Fredericksburg.
* Despite an overall intention to see as many young players as possible over the rest of the season, Miguel Cairo recently has been giving Brady House a surprising amount of time off. The rookie third baseman has started only five of the Nationals’ last nine games, and he’s again not in the lineup for tonight’s contest against the Mets.
Cairo explained that decision is a product both of Paul DeJong’s recent offensive success and House’s recent offensive struggles. House is slashing .238/.256/.315 overall in 176 major league plate appearances, and though he’s actually got better numbers against right-handers (.265/.285/.350) than left-handers (.176/.189/.235), he has mostly sat when the team is facing a righty, such as New York’s Kodai Senga tonight.
“Right now, what I’m trying to do is give him the best matchup for him,” Cairo said. “I don’t want him to lose his confidence at the plate. Defensively, he’s amazing. But I don’t want the confidence that he doesn’t have right now at the plate to translate to the field. I want to make sure I put him in a place where he can succeed and have a chance against the pitcher they put in there.”
House, 22, slugged .519 at Triple-A Rochester before his promotion earlier this summer and slugged .453 overall in 343 minor league games. But he has hit only two homers in the majors, both of them coming in the same July 12 game in Milwaukee.
“He’s going to be back. I know he’s going to hit,” Cairo said. “They’re working with him. We’ve just got to remember he’s only 22 years old. He’s a young kid trying to figure it out at the big league level. It’s going to take a little time. The only way you can see is if you play him, but I’m going to make sure it’s the right spot with the right pitchers and the right matchups.”