The Washington Nationals selected infielder Chris Hacopian with the 11th overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft. A Montgomery County native and former standout at the University of Maryland and Texas A&M, Hacopian joins the organization as a high-contact prospect to bolster the team’s developing minor league system.
Chris Hacopian: A Local Product Joins the Nationals
For the Nationals, selecting Chris Hacopian represents a homecoming. The 21-year-old infielder grew up in Potomac, Maryland, attending Bells Mill Elementary School, Cabin John Middle School, and Winston Churchill High School before his collegiate career took him to the University of Maryland and, eventually, Texas A&M. During his two seasons at Maryland, he started every game he played. Before his college career, he was named the 2022 Maryland Gatorade Player of the Year, earned Washington Post All-Met honors, and received 2023 Perfect Game Preseason All-America recognition.
Hacopian’s 2026 season at Texas A&M saw him earn First Team All-SEC honors. He batted .319 with 53 hits, 11 home runs, 41 RBIs, 10 doubles, and 34 runs scored in 42 games. His track record of offensive production is well-documented: as a sophomore in 2025, he posted a .375 average with 14 home runs, 61 RBIs, and a .502 on-base percentage, earning Second Team All-Big Ten honors. As a freshman in 2024, he hit .323 with 15 home runs, earning Freshman All-American honors from D1Baseball, Baseball America, and Perfect Game, in addition to earning Second Team All-Big Ten and Big Ten All-Freshman Team honors.
Scouting the Bat: Contact Skills and Plate Discipline
The decision to draft Hacopian is driven primarily by his offensive profile. The front office views him as one of the best pure hitters in the draft, highlighting a rare combination of contact ability, power, and plate discipline. His zone contact rate of 92.7% is rare, and he has never struck out more than he has walked in his life. Between college and summer leagues, Hacopian recorded over 1,000 plate appearances, tallying 128 walks against 83 strikeouts.
While Hacopian is considered a high-level hitter, his defensive future remains a point of projection. While there is a chance he can stick at second base, he is not considered much of a fielder or runner. There is a possibility that he may have to move to first base at some point, similar to Luis Garcia Jr. Despite this, the organization is betting on his ability to “mash,” with hopes that he can tap into more power to make his bat play easily at first base. Hacopian played through some injuries at Texas A&M during the 2026 season, which may explain why he was not quite as dominant against SEC competition as he was in the Big Ten.
Building a New Culture in the Front Office
The 2026 draft marks the first for the Nationals’ new front office, led by president of baseball operations Paul Toboni. The team’s approach this year emphasized both individual talent and organizational fit. Toboni noted that the collaborative atmosphere between scouts and front office staff has been a priority since the transition began. “It feels in that [Draft] room like all these people have been together for 25 years, and in reality, we’ve been together for eight months or whatever it might be,” Toboni said. “The way the scouts come together with the front office folks and all that, it’s been really fun.”
On Saturday, Toboni added, “I think we brought a lot of talent into the organization, and just as importantly, a bunch of character and people that I think will fit really well within our walls.”
Draft Strategy and Organizational Scope
Beyond the first round, the Nationals utilized the draft to add depth across multiple positions. The team selected a total of nine pitchers—including one left-hander—two catchers, five infielders, and four outfielders. Of this group, five were high school seniors, and eight of the prospects were ranked in MLB Pipeline’s top 250. The 6-foot-1, 210-pound Hacopian was himself ranked as MLB Pipeline’s No. 14 Draft prospect.
The strategy on Day 2 leaned heavily into four-year college players. The Nationals made selections at picks Nos. 138, 167, 196, 226, 256, 286, 316, 346, 376, 406, 436, 466, 496, 526, 556, and 586. The biggest projection-to-pick differential was the selection of 196th overall pick Gage Peterson, a right-hander from Appalachian State. The team also selected UCLA catcher Cashel Dugger at No. 256 and Wake Forest left-hander Matthew Dallas at No. 346. As the team looks to recover from a period of inconsistent talent flow in the minor leagues—which was the primary culprit for the club’s struggles after its 2019 World Series victory—the 2026 draft class is intended to serve as a foundational step for the new leadership team.
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