Dynasty: Franklin Arias. The FanRanked staff dynasty board has Arias ahead, Arias #46 and Willits #56, and the expert consensus agrees (#129 and #111). The community disagrees, leaning Willits, FRV 58.5 to 53.0.
JD on Eli Willits (Nov 2, 2026): I was down on Eli Willits for so long and was probably too late to adjust to the performance he was putting up in the minors this year. After seeing what he did in 2026, I think the Nationals have a budding star on their hands. Willits hadn't even had his 18th birthday yet when the Nationals took him first overall in 2025 and handed him $8.2 million. However, the slot value for this pick was $11 million, meaning he took a nearly $3 million haircut. I think that poisoned my mind into thinking he was a budget pick that didn't necessarily have the ceiling of other guys in his draft like Ethan Holliday, Kade Anderson, or Seth Hernandez. Rather than looking like Tim Beckham 2.0, Willits has more or less exploded onto the scene, hitting for much more power than I originally expected and being a lot more physical than he was projected to be coming into the draft. Even discounting the 62 stolen bases in 2026, as minor league stolen bases don't tell me anything about a prospect other than how aggressive they are in the minors, he still ran a 17.7% walk rate with only a 21% K rate and slugged 14 home runs as an 18-year-old across three levels. He has an outside chance of hitting the big league roster in 2027, but more than likely will need another year of development, where we should see his power continue to blossom with him knocking down the door of the big leagues in 2028 as one of the most hyped prospects in the minors.
JD on Franklin Arias (Oct 21, 2026): I didn't just want to assume that I should be ranking prospects by their industry average slots, so I've been taking deep dives on every prospect that was in consideration for the top 50. I came away from that ULTRA-hyped on Franklin Arias, and I would hear arguments to have him number 1 overall. I'm not surprised the Red Sox were willing to get rid of Marcelo Mayer knowing they had this demon waiting in the wings. Arias tore up two levels of the minors this year, slashing .323/.406/.557 and hitting 25 homeruns across 520 PA. Potentially even more impressive were his swing decisions, with only a 14.2% K rate vs a 10.2% BB rate. For someone who put up this kind of power in the upper minors, its a rare skill set to have this combination of power, patience, and contact quality. I'll be honest, the swing is the one thing the concerns me. This is 100% an eye test take (so take it with a grain of salt) but the swing looks like it can get too long and loopy, and I'm not sure how it holds up at the big league level. It's one thing to rely on your raw athleticism when you are in the minors and velos and breaking balls aren't as good, but at the big league level if you have to cheat to catch up to velocity you are going to get exposed. I am really splitting hairs here, so don't let it dissuade you from treating Arias like the high quality asset that he is. Just don't be surprised when these elite K rates regress at the big league level and the average drops with it. One final note for what it is worth: Arias has the best 7 year projection of any prospect we track. A 2027 debut would be electric, and would expect him to see him after the ASB if things go right.
Data as of . Consensus boards refresh daily; the staff board moves when it is republished.
| Metric | Eli Willits | Franklin Arias |
|---|---|---|
| Team | WAS | BOS |
| Position | SS | SS |
| Age | 18 | 20 |
| Staff Dynasty Rank | #56 | #46 |
| Dynasty Consensus Rank | #129 | #111 |
| Redraft Consensus Rank | - | - |
| Prospect Consensus Rank | #5 | #4 |
| FRV (FanRanked Value) | 58.5 | 53.0 |
| Expert Sources | 28 | 30 |
| Dynasty Rank Range | #43–#269 | #51–#393 |
| 2027 Projected Value | -$24.7 | -$16.0 |
| 2026 $ Earned | - | - |
| 2027 Projected Rank | #1810 | #1496 |
| 30-Day Consensus Move | Down 26 spots | No move |
Price a Eli Willits-for-Franklin Arias trade in the Dynasty Trade Calculator · compare their 2027 dollars in the Roto & Redraft Trade Analyzer