MLB draft tracker: Nationals take Maryland native Chris Hacopian in first round

It’s been a year of new faces for the Washington Nationals. The 2026 MLB Draft marks the organization’s first under president of baseball operations Paul Toboni, who will oversee the addition of a new wave of talent over the next two days.

The new front office was assembled as part of the Nationals’ organizational overhaul following six consecutive losing seasons and is now the youngest front office and coaching staff group in Major League Baseball.

The Nationals enter this year’s draft with four Day 1 picks. Washington’s Day 1 picks are as follows:

• Round 1: No. 11
• Round 2: No. 42
• Round 3: No. 78
• Round 4: No. 106

The Nationals have the 14th-largest bonus pool at $12,278,300 to sign their draft class.

With Washington one game above .500 and still in the playoff hunt, the organization enters an important stretch as it approaches the trade deadline. The draft gives the Nationals another chance to strengthen their farm system while the major league club continues its push for a postseason berth.

Follow along for notes and analysis for the Nationals’ first day of the MLB draft.

First round, No. 11: second baseman Chris Hacopian, Texas A&M

With Toboni’s first pick leading the Nationals, he brings a familiar name back to the nation’s capital.

Hacopian, 21, grew up in Potomac Maryland, a suburb of Washington.

In 1992, Hacopian’s dad, Derek Hacopian, won the Atlantic Coast Conference Triple Crown and Player of the Year honors while playing for Maryland. Following in his dad’s footsteps, Hacopian played two years at the University of Maryland before transferring to Texas A&M for his junior season.

This past season, Hacopian batted .319 with a .983 on-base-plus-slugging percentage for the Aggies in the Southeastern Conference. The team finished the regular season 41-16, earning the No. 12 seed in the NCAA tournament. The Aggies’ tournament ultimately ended in the regional round after being eliminated by Southern California.

Lower-back issues that sidelined Hacopian for nearly a month this spring have led to numbers that haven’t been the best, according to MLB Pipeline. But when healthy, his strike-zone judgement and hitting ability ranks among the best from this year’s draft class.

While Hacopian excels as a hitter, he has average arm strength and a lack of lateral range that led to his move from third to second baseman in college, according to MLB Pipeline. Moving forward, isn’t out of the question for Hacopian to ultimately wind up in the outfield.

Baseball America ranked Hacopian as the 11th best prospect in the class, while MLB Pipeline had him at No. 14.