Last summer, Eli Willits climbed up the draft boards, leaping over more well-known names to go to the Washington Nationals with the first pick in the 2025 MLB Draft. At 17 years and 216 days old, Willits was not only the youngest player in the draft but also the third-youngest to ever go No. 1. It was a testament to his maturity and ability.Willits, now 18 and off to a strong start with Low-A Fredericksburg, is the son of former MLB outfielder Reggie Willits. While Reggie’s influence is easy to see in Eli’s switch-hitting, table-setting offensive game, both Reggie and Eli say that it is Eli’s older brother, Jaxon, who has had the biggest impact on his development.“He was practically my second father,” Eli said of Jaxon. “He taught me how to work hard, taught me how to be a man.”Jaxon, a three-year starter at shortstop for Oklahoma who hit a game-tying single in the bottom of the ninth Monday to help the Sooners upset No. 2 Georgia Tech to advance in the NCAA Tournament, is now poised to make the leap into professional baseball in this year’s draft.For once, the younger brother gets to be the mentor. Eli’s advice to Jaxon?“He’s got to go out there and play and be himself,” Eli said. “I did the same thing he’s kind of going through, kind of pressing, trying to be perfect, but you just got to go out there, and you got to play hard. You got to have fun. The game can’t be our identity.”