Washington Nationals Draft Local Chris Hacopian in 2026 MLB Draft

The Washington Nationals have made its first selection in the 2026 MLB Draft after turning to a local product.

The Nationals kicked off the first of four draft picks by adding former Maryland and Texas A&M infielder Chris Hacopian with the 11th overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft.

Hacopian, a Potomac, Md. native, was ranked the 14th best prospect in MLB.com's prospect rankings as the 21 year old is coming off an accomplished collegiate career.

After being named the 2022 Maryland Gatorade Player of the Year out of Churchill High School, Hacopain ended his time with the Aggies as a First Team All-SEC selection after being named to the preseason watch lists for the Golden Spikes Award, College Player of the Year and All American selection.

A former second baseman during his time with the Aggies and third baseman at Maryland, Hacopian proved himself as one of the best hitters in the Big Ten before stepping into the SEC after he registered 29 home runs, 22 doubles and 103 RBIs during his two seasons under head coach Matt Swope at Maryland. He also notched nearly double the number of walks compared to strikeouts during his time at Maryland, while he ended his career with the Aggies with a .319/.405/.578 slash line with 41 RBIs and 34 runs scored. He also notched nine multi-RBI games across his 42 starts, cementing himself as a top draft prospect.

While at Maryland, he led the program in hits (72), batting average (.375) and OPS (1.158) among qualified hitters. He also was named a two-time Second Team All-Big Ten selection after proving to be an integral part of the program alongside his brother, Eddie Hacopian.

Bleacher Report pointed to Athletics second baseman Jeff McNeil as the player comparison for Hacopian while he now joins a loaded infield alongside Eli Willits, Gavin Fien and Devin Fitz-Gerald in the farm system. MLB Pipeline pointed to the Maryland native making "hitting look easy because he has advanced feel for the barrel and control of the strike zone," evidenced by his monster numbers as a Terp.

The Nationals will now turn to the final four expected picks to close out the day before resuming rounds five through 20 on Sunday as president of baseball operations Paul Toboni and the front office look to upgrade the farm system. Yet it started with a local talent for the draft first pick under new management.

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