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When Eli Willits took the field last night at Virginia Credit Union Stadium for Single-A Fredericksburg, he became the youngest FredNats player ever. He also became just the sixth player in his age-17 season to get a Single-A plate appearance this season, joining Andrew Salas (Marlins), Juneiker Caceres (Guardians), Stiven Martinez (Orioles), Kevin Garcia (Brewers) and Brady Ebel (Milwaukee).
Special treatment for the No. 1 overall pick. But that, of course, comes with the territory.
It was also a special debut for Willits, who went 3-for-4 with a run scored, two RBIs, a walk and a stolen base in Fredericksburg’s 10-6 win over the Fayetteville Woodpeckers (Astros). Impressive from easily the youngest kid out there, which is hopefully telling of a bright future.
But it was more telling that the Nationals believed the 17-year-old was ready for his professional debut after just a couple of weeks working out at the team’s spring training facility in West Palm Beach. The organization has typically been more patient with its draft picks out of high school.
Brady House, the No. 11 overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft out of Winder-Barrow High School in Georgia, spent the rest of that summer in the Rookie-level Florida Complex League. He didn’t make his Single-A debut until April 2022.
