ATLANTA — The Washington Nationals made a stunning choice with the No. 1 general decide on Sunday, drafting highschool shortstop Eli Willits, the son of former main league outfielder Reggie Willits.
The Nationals, navigating a significant organizational shakeup over the past seven days, had been extensively anticipated to draft both Ethan Holliday, one other highschool infielder, or LSU left-hander Kade Anderson.
The Los Angeles Angels chosen Tyler Bremner, a 6-foot-2 right-hander from UC Santa Barbara, with the No. 2 general decide, which represented the very best the workforce had chosen within the draft since 1997.
Anderson went to the Seattle Mariners with the No. 3 decide, whereas Holliday, the son of former outfielder Matt Holliday and brother of present Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jackson Holliday, went to the Colorado Rockies at No. 4.
Willits led Fort Cobb-Broxton Excessive Faculty in Oklahoma to their third straight title this previous season and had beforehand dedicated to Oklahoma. A 6-foot-1 switch-hitter, Willits is hailed for his bat-to-ball expertise and plate self-discipline and is taken into account a powerful defensive shortstop.
The slot worth for the No. 1 decide is a file $11,075,900 this 12 months.
It was solely every week in the past that the Nationals fired common supervisor Mike Rizzo, who was in his seventeenth 12 months atop baseball operations and had an enormous hand in choosing Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper within the different instances that the franchise held the No. 1 decide — in 2009 and 2010, respectively.
Nationals supervisor Davey Martinez was additionally fired final week.
Bremnar sits at 93 to 96 mph together with his fastball, whereas additionally boasting a changeup and slider, and posted a 3.49 ERA with a Massive West-leading 111 strikeouts in 77 1/3 innings this season.
Anderson was named Most Excellent Participant at this 12 months’s School World Sequence, going 2-0 with a 0.56 ERA in two begins in Omaha. Previous to that, he led Division I with 180 strikeouts and 119 innings and was a Golden Spikes Award semifinalist, following within the success of former LSU Tiger and final 12 months’s No. 1 decide, Paul Skenes.
Holliday, the Oklahoma Gatorade Participant of the 12 months, batted .611 with 19 homers, a 1.295 slugging proportion and a 2.038 OPS in his senior 12 months at Stillwater Excessive Faculty in Oklahoma. Holliday initiatives to play both shortstop or third base.
The draft is 20 rounds for the fifth straight time this 12 months, with Rounds 1 to three, representing the primary 105 picks, going down on Monday.