The Nationals' first overall pick of the 2025 MLB Draft made his professional baseball debut with the Class-A Fredericksburg Nationals on Thursday. Eli reached base three more times that game (a hit, a walk, and once hit by a pitch), scoring twice. Winning the division in the second half would send the Nationals to the Carolina League North Division Series for the second straight year to face the Guardians affiliate Lynchburg Hillcats. All this is also good news for the big league Nationals. Seaver King, the now-22-year-old who the Nationals made their first round pick in the 2024 Draft, has seen struggles in his initial stint with Double-A Harrisburg.