Will Washington Nationals Take Maryland Native in 2026 MLB Draft?

With the attention on the current season and the trade deadline inching closer, lost in the shuffle is the upcoming 2026 MLB Draft with the Washington National set to pick 11th overall, giving president of baseball operations Paul Toboni and the front office a chance to add another to stockpile talent in the farm system. The question is what direction the Nationals could go to, but there's a chance they turn to a local product.

Former Maryland and Texas A&M infielder Chris Hacopian was projected to land to the Nationals with the team's first pick in what would mark a homecoming for the Potomac, Md. native.

It's become increasingly apparent through the season that the Nationals were more likely to target the college route with the first pick in the draft, while Hacopian has been a frequent pick for the organization in mock drafts. It's also easy to see why.

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.

Where Hacopian would begin his career in the minor leagues could be the next question, though he would add to what is a loaded infield across the Nationals' farm system given he pairs with Eli Willits, Seaver King, Ronny Cruz and Gavin Fien, who are all ranked inside Washington's top ten prospect rankings.

Whether the Maryland native ultimately becomes the first selection will be officially answered starting on Saturday, July 11 when day one of the draft begins at 1 PM ET on NBC with rounds one through four set to run through 7:45 PM. Washington will then finalize their 2026 draft the following day when rounds five through 20 begin at 11:30 AM with the draft set to be complete at 7:30 PM ET.

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