MLB fans left speechless as Nationals shock everyone with Eli Willits pick

It was anyone's best guess as to what the Washington Nationals were going to do with the No. 1 overall pick in the MLB Draft, especially after firing GM Mike Rizzo just a week before making the selection. But it's safe to say very few expected them to select Eli Willits to begin the festivities.

Willits, a shortstop out of Fort Cobb-Broxton High School in Oklahoma, is a shortstop who has a high and exciting ceiling, but the Nationals taking him at No. 1 overall is shocking. There was reason to believe Washington was deciding between the consensus best high-school prospect, infielder Ethan Holliday, and the best college prospect, LSU ace Kade Anderson. Taking Willits will save them money they can use later, but still, it took everyone by surprise.

It's safe to say that Nationals fans are left speechless, and the few who are able to muster up any words are not thrilled.

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Nationals pull off MLB Draft stunner with Eli Willits selection

Again, nobody saw this coming. Sure, reports emerged that the Nationals could take a dark horse like Willits, but with talents like Anderson and Holliday on the board, this was extremely unexpected. Willits presumably was surprised as well.

Some Nationals fans are less than thrilled with this selection, knowing that Willits was not expected to go to Washington based on any mocks available.

The outrage honestly has little to do with Willits. Nationals fans know that he's talented, and he could easily play an instrumental role for a long time in Washington. The fact that they passed on talents like Anderson and Holliday is why it's so hard to believe they went down the Willits path.

Willits might not be as highly-touted as Holliday or Anderson, but the Nationals presumably getting him on a deal under the slot value can't be ignored. Teams have a set budget they're allowed to spend in the MLB Draft, and the Nationals saving money with the No. 1 overall selection, while risky, is a strategy that'd allow them to spend it later on in the draft. That can allow the Nationals to bring in several talented prospects in addition to Willits.