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. On Day 2, they went college pitcher heavy.
“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 on Saturday.
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.
In total, the Nats selected nine pitchers (one left-hander), two catchers, five infielders and four outfielders. Of this group, there were five high school seniors. Eight of the prospects were ranked in MLB Pipeline’s top 250.
“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.”
The Nationals made selections at picks Nos. 138, 167, 196, 226, 256, 286, 316, 346, 376, 406, 436, 466, 496, 526, 556 and 586 on Day 2.
Rounds 5-10
The Nationals drafted all four-year college players, including a trio of top-250 ranked prospects, in these rounds. The biggest projection-to-pick differential was the selection of No. 247 right-hander Gage Peterson (Appalachian State) with the 196th pick. Peterson was one of three righty pitchers selected by the Nats in the portion of the draft. The Nationals chose their first catcher with the No. 256 pick, Cashel Dugger (No. 227 prospect) from UCLA.
Player to watch: 3B Daniel Cuvet
- Round 5
- Bats/throws: R/R
- School: University of Miami
- Calling Card: Cuvet, selected with the 138th pick, was ranked by MLB Pipeline as the No. 120 prospect. Nationals director of amateur acquisitions Desmond McGowan recalled being impressed by Cuvet’s meticulous approach to hitting when they met. Cuvet was originally drafted by the Pirates in the 17th round in 2023. He chose to play collegiate baseball at Miami, where he batted .347 in three seasons as a power hitter. Listed at 6-foot-3, 240 pounds, Cuvet earned the scouting grades of – hit: 45, power: 60, run: 40, arm: 60, field: 45, overall: 45.
Rounds 11-15
The Nationals drafted four pitchers and one catcher in Rounds 11-15. Of the arms, Matthew Dallas out of Wake Forest (No. 346) was the only lefty. The Nats’ picks ran a gamut of experience. They ranged from a high school senior (catcher Francisco Rivero, No. 436) to a graduate student (right-hander Cody Howard, No. 376).
Player to watch: RHP Weston Moss
- Round 11
- Bats/throws: R/R
- School: Texas A&M
- Calling Card: Moss is the second Texas A&M player drafted by the Nationals. He joins their No. 11 overall pick Hacopian in the organization. After pitching out of the bullpen his first two seasons, Moss made 14 starts this year as a junior. In the College Station Regional, he threw a career-best 7 1/3 innings with 10 strikeouts against Texas State.
Rounds 16-20
The Nationals concluded the 2026 Draft with picks that included a pair of high school seniors and a 6-foot-9 junior college hurler (right-hander Anson Seibert, 20th round). After going pitcher-heavy in the middle rounds, the Nats chose position players with four of their final five picks.
Player to watch: OF Anthony Murphy
- Round 16
- Bats/throws: R/R
- School: Corona High School (CA)
- Calling Card: Murphy is interesting because he was ranked as MLB Pipeline’s No. 108 prospect and selected by the Nats at No. 466. The 19-year-old is an LSU commit, so he could choose to attend college instead. Murphy’s biggest strengths are defense and raw power, with scouting grades of – hit: 45, power: 55, run: 55, arm: 55, field: 60, overall: 45. He won a gold medal with Team USA at the WSBC U-18 World Cup, and he is an alumni of the same high school as recent top-10 picks Seth Hernandez and Billy Carlson.