Day 1 of the 2026 Draft included the Nationals' picks from Rounds 1-4, including Chris Hacopian at No. 11 overall. Day 2 spanned Rounds 5-20, and you can see every pick the Nationals made here.
WASHINGTON – On Day 1 of their first Draft with a new front office, the Nationals selected four players with a range of positions and experience.
“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,” said first-year president of baseball operations Paul Toboni.
The Nationals selected 21-year-old Maryland native Chris Hacopian out of Texas A&M with their first overall pick at No. 11. The 6-foot-1, 210-pound shortstop was ranked as MLB Pipeline’s No. 14 Draft prospect.
The Nats followed with a college junior outfielder in the second round (No. 42 overall). Chase Brunson from Texas Christian University was ranked as the No. 50 Draft prospect.
From there, the Nationals drafted a pair of high school seniors with their final two picks of Day 1. They chose shortstop Luke Williams (No. 78 pick, No. 90 prospect) and right-hander Cooper Harris (No. 106 pick, No. 76 prospect) to conclude Saturday.
“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,” said Toboni. “... The way the scouts come together with the front office folks and all that, it's been really fun.”
Chase Brunson, OF
- Round 2, Pick 42
- Bats/throws: R/R
- School: Texas Christian University
- Calling Card: Brunson has all-around abilities that earned him these MLB Pipeline scouting grades -- hit: 50, power: 50, run: 55, arm: 55, field: 55, overall: 50. He has high-end exit velocities and led his TCU team in on-base percentage (.462) and RBIs (51) this past season.
- Quote: “Chase is a super well-rounded player, does a little bit of everything, all really well,” said assistant general manager Justin Horowitz. “This year, we thought he was one of the best players in college baseball, actually. A center fielder, he can play all three spots. He can run, he can field, he can throw. He is a developing hitter. He performed well this spring, and he's got power, too. So [he's] someone we're really excited about. … We met at the Combine. He engaged well with us, with our player plans, and [he is] someone we think we can really help develop, too.”
Luke Williams, SS
- Round 3, Pick 78
- Bats/throws: R/R
- School: Franklin Regional High School (PA)
- Calling Card: The Vanderbilt commit has elite bat speed, raw power and speed on the basepaths. MLB Pipeline evaluated him with these scouting grades -- hit: 45, power: 45, run: 70, arm: 60, field: 50, overall: 45.
- Quote: “Luke came to a workout here, and we've tracked him for months now,” Toboni said. “[He's] just an awesome athlete. [He] flies around shortstop, flies around the bases. [We] think he's going to have power. He's what we call a ‘twitched-up kid,’ he does everything fast. In the makeup, too … we just think he's quote-unquote wired right and will fit well with what we do.”
Cooper Harris, RHP
- Round 4, Pick 106
- Bats/throws: R/R
- School: Flower Mound High School (TX)
- Calling Card: Harris maxes at 96 mph with his fastball and works in the 90-94 mph range. In addition to his low-80s slider that has high spin rates and mid-70s curveball that locates for strikes, the Texas commit also is honing a mid-80s changeup.
- Quote: “I think at maturity, he's probably going to have multiple fastballs and pound the zone with five pitches,” Toboni said. “I just think as he gets stronger and kind of goes through our training and all that, he's just going to really refine who he is as a pitcher. [We're] really excited about him as well. To be candid, I didn't really think there was a chance coming into today that he would be a pick that we could maybe make in the fourth round. But [we’re] really happy that it turned out that way.”
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