Hey, pregame for James Woods performance in Monday nights home run derby by hanging out at Walter's Sports Bar right across the street from Nationals Park.

Your first round of beer is on Mike Rizzo and the Rizzo Family Foundation.

Monday 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., a round on Riz quote, as a way to say thank you to the fans for 19 amazing years with the Washington Nationals,

end quote, visit waltersDC.com.

With the first pick of the 2025 MLB draft, the Washington Nationals select Eli Willits, a shortstop

from Fort Cobb Brockston shortstop from Fort Cobb

Brockton High School in Fort Cobb, Oklahoma.

There's a lot of development still left to do, but I'm excited and happy to get to work

with such great organization and great people in the NASA organization.

So I'm ready to start building relationships with my teammates, my coaches, and get to work. Couldn't be more excited. You know, Eli, he's a special player. You know,

great hit tool, you know, makes contact, controls the strike zone. We love his swing, switch hitter.

Just a clean operation at the plate and, you know, with developing power. So, you know, impacted the plate and then just an elite shortstop.

Somebody who stays at shortstop, somebody with great range, you know, smooth hands, great arm, accurate.

And then you add on top of that, you know, just intangibles and confidence and work ethic,

you know, just maturity that's off the charts. So, you know, you put all that together. It's rare to get someone that we think is the best hitter in the draft and the best fielder in the draft. And so we just felt that was an opportunity we couldn't pass up. And welcome to NatSchat, along with Massensports.com Nationals Insider Mark Zuckerman, I'm Al Galdi, hosted the Al Galdi podcast. Well, the Nats chat, along with Massinsports.com, Nationals Insider Mark Zuckerman.

I'm Al-Galdi, host of the Al-Galdi podcast.

Well, the Nats with the number one overall pick in the 2025 M-LB draft, in fact,

took a middle infielder from a high school in Oklahoma, but that middle infielder was not Ethan Holiday.

The Nats with the number one overall pick took shortstop,

Eli Willits, out of a high school in Oklahoma. The Nance did not take shortstop slash third baseman

Ethan Holliday, who also was out of a high school of Oklahoma, and who many thought the Nats would

take. He was taken by the Colorado Rockies with the number four overall pick. The Nants did not

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