Dynasty: Eli Willits. The FanRanked staff dynasty board has Willits ahead, Willits #56 and Vries #61, but the expert consensus has Vries ahead (#78 to #129). The community disagrees, leaning Vries, FRV 72.5 to 58.5.
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 Leodalis De Vries (Nov 4, 2026): Here is what I said when news first broke about De Vries' shoulder surgery: "Really brutal news for Leo that he will be out for 8 months with shoulder surgery. Luckily it's during the offseason and he's so young and it's not crucial that he gets a ton of reps right now. It would be nice to see him knocking on the door of the big leagues next year with a really strong spring and start to the 2027 season. I imagine this takes any hope of a 2027 debut as a 20-year-old out of the picture but still leaves the chance that he makes his 2028 debut as a 21-year-old in play. I like what Sebastian Walcott has been able to do coming back from injury so I'm hopeful that Leo will take the time to develop, get stronger, and come out of this better off in the long run. Not selling if I own him here." Nothing has really changed since then, except me diving into some of the other prospects that I think are more exciting from a fantasy perspective. With no injury he's still probably top three for me, but for now I think he's a very strong number seven overall prospect and can earn back his top three status if he proves he's fully healthy during the 2027 season.
Data as of . Consensus boards refresh daily; the staff board moves when it is republished.
| Metric | Eli Willits | Leodalis De Vries |
|---|---|---|
| Team | WAS | ATH |
| Position | SS | SS |
| Age | 18 | 19 |
| Staff Dynasty Rank | #56 | #61 |
| Dynasty Consensus Rank | #129 | #78 |
| Redraft Consensus Rank | - | - |
| Prospect Consensus Rank | #5 | #3 |
| FRV (FanRanked Value) | 58.5 | 72.5 |
| Expert Sources | 28 | 30 |
| Dynasty Rank Range | #43–#269 | #38–#243 |
| 2027 Projected Value | -$24.7 | -$16.6 |
| 2026 $ Earned | - | - |
| 2027 Projected Rank | #1810 | #1517 |
| 30-Day Consensus Move | Down 26 spots | Down 3 spots |
Price a Eli Willits-for-Leodalis De Vries trade in the Dynasty Trade Calculator · compare their 2027 dollars in the Roto & Redraft Trade Analyzer