Eli Willits’ Rise to MLB Stardom Fueled by Preparation, Talent and Baseball Pedigree
On the Saturday before Father’s Day, five hours before first pitch in Wilmington, Eli Willits sat down with me in the visiting dugout at Frawley Stadium. I was told the 18-year-old was a highly professional and serious youngster. They weren’t wrong. But after chatting to him I learned a little about the mentality and background of the 2025 first overall choice.
If you knew the Eli Willits tale, you would know that Eli’s dad Reggie has been a big part of his journey. Reggie Willits is a former major leaguer himself, and has coached Eli and his two brothers. “Reggie has been a great baseball coach but other than that he’s been a great dad,” Eli informed me.
Eli Willits would never be the most vociferous player on the team but his quiet ambition was absolutely evident. When Willits talked about his choice to reclassify to the 2025 class, his explanation was clear. “By the end of the day I want to get to the big leagues as quick as possible,” he said to me. Willits said it was a tough procedure, but he astutely pointed out that it appears like a wonderful decision right now.
Willits isn’t one for grand pronouncements, but he’s said it on several occasions that he’d want to be playing in the big leagues at 20 years old. This is not a daring announcement for Willits, it is a very reasonable aim. This season has proved that Willits is well on his way to accomplishing that ambition.
Willits is hitting.298 with a.967 OPS and 11 homers and 34 steals in 57 games at two levels. The kid has taken his game to another level this month, hitting .322 with 7 homers and an OPS of 1.249. Willits didn’t play for the Blue Rocks in the game I saw following the interview, but the next day he went deep.
Reggie was a wonderful father and taught Eli important principles like treating people with respect and the golden rule of treating others the way you want to be treated. Off the pitch, Willits has grown into a modest, unassuming young man who is led by his faith. We were told by Teddy Roosevelt to talk softly and carry a big stick. After meeting with the Nationals 18 year old phenom I can’t help but think of that saying.
Eli Willits wasn’t the brother in the national limelight for at least this weekend. His brother Jaxon is the starting shortstop at the University of Oklahoma, where his dad is also an assistant coach. Eli, a loyal Oklahoman and Sooners commit, has been watching these very attentively. Willits has been a big fan of the Sooners on their journey to the College World Series, watching the games or asking for scores when he’s not able to watch.
He told me he hoped the Sooners would take the final in Omaha in two games. The Sooners split the first two games with North Carolina, setting up a winner take all game three tonight. Willits will get an idle day to watch, possibly from a motel in Frederick, Maryland, before the Blue Rocks open their series against the Frederick Keys.
The grind of the lower levels can be a shock to the system for some young pros, but not Eli. “I grew up in a clubhouse,” said Willits. He’s shadowed his dad in big league clubhouses for as long as he can remember and calls it one of the biggest thrills of his baseball life. With all this experience with the game at the top level, there isn’t much that can surprise the even-keeled 18-year-old.
His dad coached with the Yankees and got to sit next to the likes of Aaron Judge in the clubhouse. Reggie was a Yankees coach from 2018-2021, formative years for young Eli. He soaked up material like a sponge, eager to learn, like any little kid loves baseball.
One guy Willits stated had a lot of impact on him was Brett Gardner, whom Eli still talks to even now. He noted the hard nosed, blue collar style of former Yankees outfielder plays into his own style of play. I saw Willits earlier this year in Fredericksburg, and you can absolutely see the similarities, especially on the basepaths. Like Garnder, Eli Willits is continually looking to add to his 34 stolen bases this season.
If you didn’t already know, Eli Willits learnt a lot from his dad. Willits is out on the field and there is one bit of fatherly wisdom that is obvious to discern. Eli Willits, like his dad and his brother, bats both left and right. “I’ve been switch-hitting since I was one or two,” he said. “Since I’ve picked up a bat, I’ve been switch hitting”. “I’m glad I learned to switch-hit every time I see a nasty slider from a lefty,” Willits said.
Willits has shown much more power at the plate this season, and that’s no accident. Willits was drafted and the major issue was how much power he would develop. Willits displayed contact skills, plate discipline and defense in his pro debut last year, but no major power.
This offseason he sought to remedy that, alongside Eric Cressey in Florida. “I grinded this offseason,” Willits said. If you sit next to him you can see it. The kid is clearly more physically mature and stronger than he was a year ago when he was on his way to being the first overall pick. That work and develop into his body has paid huge dividends in his first full pro season. The power has made Willits a legitimate 5-tool player, one of the top prospects in baseball.
One of the persons Willits actually worked with at Cressey was Brady House. Willits got to be around the team this spring and play in some big league Spring Training games. “House was the one who took him under his wing,” House is a modest, humble person like Willits, a first-round pick out of high school, so the friendship seems only natural.
Willits said he watches the big league club a little bit, and appreciates the way they are winning ball games. But it’s certain that Willits is much more focused on keeping his eyes on the prize. Eli Willits has been getting ready for that moment for a long time and knows he will be joining the major league club in the not too distant future.
When Eli Willits is called up to the majors, possibly before his 21st birthday, it won’t be an emotional surprise. It would be the culmination of a plan that he has been working on for as long as he can remember. Most kids dream of being a major leaguer, but for Eli Willits it was an expectation from a young age.
I went to Wilmington to find the Nats’ next young star, and I left more convinced than ever that Eli Willits is that kid. I found a humble man of God, but also a ballplayer with an enormous fire blazing within of him and a mentality that will not allow him to be rejected.
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