The Washington Nationals selected shortstop Eli Willits as the top overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, a decision that drew praise from analysts around the league.
Willits is one of the top prospects in baseball, but on Friday, February 13, he shared news for a reason that wasn’t related to his strong glove or powerful bat.
The 18-year-old infielder and his fiancée, Reagan Repp, announced their engagement on social media.
Washington Nationals Top Prospect Eli Willits Announces Big News
On Friday, Willits and his soon-to-be wife shared photos from the engagement on Instagram, with Repp flashing her new ring.
The post drew praise from multiple fellow prospects, including recent Nationals addition Gavin Fien, who was selected No. 12 overall in 2025. Fien was acquired in the trade that sent MacKenzie Gore to the Texas Rangers.
Willits and Fien are among the headliners in a Nationals farm system that has taken significant steps forward this offseason. Washington landed Harry Ford in a trade with the Seattle Mariners, and received Luis Perales in a deal with the Boston Red Sox. The new additions are all near the top of the Nationals’ prospect rankings.
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Washington is looking to bounce back after a challenging 2025 season. The club moved on from general manager Mike Rizzo midway through last year. Longtime manager Davey Martinez was also relieved of his duties. The organization is now seven years removed from winning the 2019 World Series. The Nationals have finished last in the NL East in five of the past six seasons.
New president of baseball operations Paul Toboni will be in charge of turning around the Washington franchise. The 35-year-old Toboni comes from the Boston Red Sox, where he was assistant general manager. Toboni has tasked new manager Blake Butera with running the squad. Butera, also on the young side for someone in his position (33 years old), was most recently with the Tampa Bay Rays as a senior director of player development.
Butera will likely run out a group that ranks among the youngest in the league. Washington’s projected lineup doesn’t feature a player older than 28. Catcher Keibert Ruiz is the elder statesman of the bunch, but he’ll still be 27 years old through the All-Star break. Ruiz isn’t even guaranteed to handle the majority of the work behind the plate. The 23-year-old Ford could press him for playing time and further decrease the average age of the lineup.
CJ Abrams and James Wood will be the mainstays at the top of the lineup. Abrams is coming off his third consecutive 30-steal season as the table setter for the Nationals. He’ll be back in his familiar shortstop spot once the 2026 season gets underway, as long as he doesn’t get traded away before then. Wood slugged 31 home runs in his first full big-league season. He’ll look for a repeat campaign following his first career All-Star selection.
With Willits and Fien likely a couple of years away from the big leagues, it’ll be Brady House who gets an extended look in the infield. The Nats took House with the 11th overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft. He scuffled to a 56 wRC+ in his MLB debut last year. House will get a chance to stake his claim to third base this season.
Washington Nationals No. 1 Draft Pick Shares Heartwarming Personal News