After looking very comfortable in Low-A as a 17 year old last year, Eli Willits got off to a surprisingly slow start for the Fred Nats. The former first overall pick was only hitting .139 in his first nine games. It was great to see the rest of that Fred Nats team performing, but Willits struggling put a damper on that.
However, he has really turned things around lately, which is not much of a surprise. Willits is just too skilled and too talented to struggle for long. That slump was not going to last for long, and it has not. In his last 10 games, Willits is hitting .391 with an OPS of 1.101. He is hitting the ball with much more authority and settling into pro ball nicely.
For the season, Willits’ OPS is up to .799. That number should keep rising as he gets further removed from his cold streak. What we have seen the last couple weeks is the Willits we thought we would get from the jump. He is showcasing his combination of contact skills, a great eye, speed and defense.
When I saw Willits this spring, the thing that stood out to me the most was his plate discipline. He was casually spitting on borderline pitches from Liam Doyle, a top five pick, in the Spring Breakout game. Willits has shown his eagle eye so far in Low-A, posting an 18.1% walk rate.
The one thing I would like to see Willits improve on is his strikeout rate. Right now, he is striking out 21.3% of the time. That is higher than I want to see for a player of his profile. He is a hit over power guy, so hopefully he can get that K rate closer to 15%. Maybe the strikeouts are elevated because he is just working a lot of deep counts.
While Willits will never be a big power guy, he is showing more impact lately. He hit home runs in back to back games about a week ago, though one was an inside the park homer. However, he did hit one over the fence and it was a real nice opposite field shot. Willits becoming a 15-20 home run guy will be crucial if he wants to be a star player rather than just a solid starter.
Another part of Willits’ game I really like is his speed and instincts on the bases. He may not have Trea Turner speed, but Willits is a good runner who is very aggressive. The 18 year old already has 16 stolen bases on the season. Whenever you watch him play, you immediately notice the all out hustle he plays with. Sometimes he can be overly aggressive on the bases and get thrown out, but he will learn where he should pick his spots as he gets older.
Eli Willits’ polish extends to the defensive side of the ball as well. Most evaluators expect him to be an above average or even plus defender at short. He has all the requisite physical tools to play the position, but his instincts and internal clock are what really separate him.
Last season, his defense may have stood out even more than his offense, despite the fact he was hitting well. That has continued this year. The teenager has not made a single error in his 15 games at shortstop. That is a crazy stat for such a young player. He has also made some really nice plays as well.
After a shaky start, it is back to scheduled programming for the Nats number one prospect. I would like to see him make a bit more contact, but I think that will come as he starts to really establish himself in pro ball. It is important to remember that Willits just turned 18 in December. He should be in this upcoming draft, yet he is already performing in full season ball.
It just shows how refined he is and why the Nats took him first overall. He may not have the tools to be a Bobby Witt Jr. type mega star, but for an 18 year old Willits is a very safe bet to be a quality starter for a long time. If he taps into more power than expected, there is also star upside here.
Just look at what Geraldo Perdomo did last year if you want to see a peak of Willits’ ceiling. Eli Willits struggled out of the gate, but you can’t keep a talent like this down for long. There is a reason this kid went first overall.
Read the full article here
