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The Washington Nationals selected 17-year-old high school shortstop Eli Willits as the first overall pick in the 2025 MLB draft, making him the youngest player ever to receive this honor. Willits, son of former Angels player Reggie Willits, was a highly-ranked prospect but not the consensus top pick. The selection comes after the Nationals recently fired their president of baseball operations and manager. The team may have chosen Willits to potentially save money on his signing bonus, allowing them to allocate more resources to other draft picks.

Prepared by Emily Rhodes and reviewed by editorial team.