Washington – Eli Willits did not want to waste time before signing his first pro contract. The 17-year-old Shortstop is according to a tight schedule.
Willits was on Saturday with the Washington Nationals once for a signing bonus of $ 8.2 million, only six days after the club had generally selected him in the amateur design of Major League Baseball. The amount was the most for a selected player in high school, just above Jackson Holliday’s $ 8.19 million with Baltimore three years ago.
“I set a goal in the big competitions to be by the time I am 20, and that is something that I am really enthusiastic about doing,” Willits said during an introductory news conference in National Park. “Hopefully I will go there and I will start playing well and that may be something that I can reach in the coming years.”
Willits is a switch from Fort Cobb-Bloxton High School in Oklahoma, the son of Reggie Willits, who played six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels and also coached with the New York Yankees.
Willits, the youngest player, in general number 1 since Seattle Ken Griffey Jr. In 1987, on Sunday to Washington’s spring training complex in West Palm Beach, Florida, will fly and start training with the team of the team of the team.
National Interim General Manager Mike Debartolo, who was elevated to his current role when Washington fired general manager Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez on 6 July, said the club will see how things will unfold in the coming weeks before he made further decisions.
“One of the things that attracted us to Eli was how motivated he is, his work ethics, how focused he is,” said Debartolo. “I think that’s great about him. Certainly, I’m not going to place anyone on a provincial place. He has not yet stepped on a professional field, but I think it is great that that is his view and we will certainly do everything we can to make that possible.”
Willits remembered how he would make sure he was in the stands when Aaron Judge took the battle practice during his father’s stint with the Yankees. Another member of the New York organization was Miguel Cairo at the time, who is now the interim manager of Nationals and was known almost ten years ago with the New Nr. 1 Pick.
“That made me feel really old,” Cairo said.
Willits arrived at Stephen Strasburg (2009) and Bryce Harper (2010) as the only players selected by Nationals No. 1.
“I am grateful for the chance that the Nationals gave me,” said Willits. “Not many people come here and are the number 1 overall choice.”
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