The Nationals’ first overall pick, Eli Willits, was selected instead of shortstop Ethan Holliday. Willits is performing strongly at Single-A Fredericksburg, batting .270 with 38 hits, 26 RBI, 24 stolen bases, a .842 OPS, and four home runs. He ranks tied for 6th in the Carolina League in RBI and is 2nd in stolen bases. A promotion to High-A Wilmington is expected, which would be his first step toward the major leagues. The outlook is that he could earn Rookie of the Year honors after a call-up and become a multi-time All-Star. Ethan Petry was taken in the second round and is hitting .310 with a .983 OPS, 40 hits, 32 RBI, nine homers, and seven doubles at High-A Wilmington.
"While many people anticipated the Nationals could select shortstop Ethan Holliday, who is from a baseball family. His brother, former first overall pick Jackson, plays on the other side of the Capital Beltway; his uncle, Josh, is the head coach at Oklahoma State; and his father is former MLB all-star Matt Holliday. Instead, the Nationals selected Eli Willits, another shortstop, also from Oklahoma, like Ethan Holliday."
"The Nationals' first overall selection is paying off, I would say. Currently at Single-A Fredericksburg, Willits is batting .270, with 38 hits, 26 RBI, 24 stolen bases, a .842 OPS (On-Base-Plus-Slugging percentage), and four home runs, among many other high-performing stats. Eli Willits is tied for 6th in the Carolina League in RBI and is in 2nd place in the Carolina League in stolen bases."
"Eli Willits will soon get the call-up to either High-A Wilmington, marking his first promotion en route to the major leagues. I believe Eli Willits has a high probability of being named Rookie of the Year when he gets called up, and most definitely, a multi-time all-star for the Nats. He is a player the Nationals must hold on to if they want a chance at competing for a World Series Championship, because he will play a massive role in a championship run."
"Ethan Petry, drafted out of the University of South Carolina, is currently at high-A Wilmington after spending 2025 with single-A Fredericksburg and in the Arizona Fall League. In 2026, Petry is doing absolutely incredible at the plate. In 129 at-bats, he has a .310 batting average, a .983 OPS, 40 hits, 32 RBI, nine homers, and seven doubles. Petry has shown immense power and an ability to get extra-base hits, with a high batting average, and has shown that he is worthy of a hopefully fast-track to the major league club."
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