Top draft picks Eli Willits and Seth Hernandez face off in Greensboro

Downtown Greensboro got a rare showcase Tuesday night as First National Bank Field hosted a High-A matchup between two of baseball’s youngest elite prospects, Eli Willits and Seth Hernandez. The game, available free on MLB platforms, put the city’s ballpark in front of fans watching a duel between the No. 1 and No. 6 picks from the 2025 MLB Draft.

Willits, just promoted to Wilmington, started the night with extra attention because of how quickly he has moved through the minors. MLB says the Washington Nationals selected him first overall, making him the third-youngest player ever drafted No. 1 and the youngest since Ken Griffey Jr., who went first in 1987 at 17 years, 193 days. Willits signed for $8.2 million and got in 15 games with Single-A Fredericksburg, where he hit .300.

Hernandez took the mound for Greensboro, giving the Grasshoppers a chance to test themselves against one of the most closely watched arms in the minors. The matchup mattered beyond one game because it brought future major-league talent to a stadium that sits in the heart of downtown Greensboro, a setting that can turn a weekday game into a draw for fans looking for a glimpse of what is coming next.

The Grasshoppers made it count on the scoreboard, winning 7-5 to improve to 36-27. Wilmington fell to 27-30. Greensboro, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ High-A affiliate since 2019, has built its own baseball identity over a longer run that began in 1979 as the Hornets and includes South Atlantic League championships in 1980, 1981, 1982 and 2011.

First National Bank Field has been home to the team since it opened on April 3, 2005, when 8,540 fans attended an exhibition game against the then-Florida Marlins. Nearly 21 years later, the ballpark again served as a stage for a game that carried more significance than a standard June contest, with two top draft picks turning a Greensboro night into a preview of the majors.