While the Washington Nationals will select 11th overall in the 2026 MLB Draft due to a technicality, the front office has emphasized a commitment to upgrading the club's technology ahead of the 2026 season.
MLB Draft order revealed
The Washington Nationals posted the third-worst record in baseball after finishing 66-96 in 2025, but they were ineligible to capitalize on that potential draft position when the draft order was revealed on Tuesday night.
The Nationals will select 11th overall in the 2026 MLB Draft and was not in the lottery mix due to being a "payor club," meaning Washington gives revenue sharing dollars rather than receiving them. That designation makes Washington ineligible for a top ten selection, but president of baseball operations Paul Toboni expressed excitement with news that the Nationals are set to pick 11th overall pick.
“Excitement,” said Toboni following the news on Tuesday night. “And this is probably due to my background -- I kind of came up through the game working in amateur scouting, and it still remains a huge passion of mine no matter how removed you get from it.
Washington selected first overall in 2025 with shortstop Eli Willits leading the Nationals' farm system rankings and 15th across baseball ahead of his second season with the organization.
Baseball America projected the Nationals to select Mississippi State third baseman Ace Reese, one of the most productive bats in 2025 who slashed .352/.422/.718 with 21 home runs in 2025.
His .718 slugging percentage ranked third-best in the SEC as the left handed hitter, giving an idea of the potential addition to the Nationals' core in next July's draft.
“So I’m really excited. This is the time of the year where you really start to sink your teeth into who are players that are going to go in the top 15 picks or top 30 picks, whatever it might be, and you start really doing your homework on who might be a fit at -- in this case -- pick 11 for us,” Toboni said.
USA Today projected the Nationals to draft Gio Rojas, a left handed pitcher out of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida.
"A paucity of top prep arms in this class, but Rojas could go high enough to coax him away from a Miami commitment," USA Today wrote. "While his baseball-factory high school is more known for producing hitting talent, Rojas has touched 98 mph with his fastball."
Upgraded Technology
One minor storyline for Nationals during this week's winter meetings was the commitment to upgraded technology ahead of 2025. The lack of a Trajekt Arc pitching machine became a point of debate midway through the 2025 season, but Toboni and Devin Pearson, the club's new assistant general manager, reiterated the organization's commitment to providing the newest and latest.
"We've bought a ton and spent a ton of money, so we should have mostly everything we need to execute," Pearson said.
"We want some of these things that we know can help players develop most. And nothing has changed," Toboni added. "Like very much feel supported in the role. [Devin Pearson] will say the same. My hope is that, if you were to pull a set of players three months from now, that they'll be saying the same. Staff members as well. So it's important, and it's important because at the end of the day, it gets players better and that's what we're in the business of doing."