The Maryland native headlined four Washington picks on the first day of the draft.
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During a Washington Nationals road series in June, president of baseball operations Paul Toboni sat in the dugout of his previous employer, the Boston Red Sox, speaking of “development.” Up in New England, stars were drafted, not signed. But when he ventured down the coast last fall, the term was largely foreign to D.C. ears. The Nationals’ minor league system had struggled to generate a consistent flow of talent for several years, which was the primary culprit for the club’s struggles after its 2019 World Series victory.
Change needed to be swift. Thus, a week ago, Toboni and assistant general manager Justin Horowitz welcomed a local prospect to Nationals Park — and showed him a hefty PowerPoint presentation, weaving through what Washington’s player development department thought he did well and, acutely, what he didn’t.
The slideshow “fired me up,” Chris Hacopian said. As it turns out, the same went for Toboni. In Washington’s first draft for a reshaped front office, which has become known for its emphasis on player development and amateur scouting, the Nationals selected the Texas A&M second baseman with the No. 11 pick Saturday.
“One thing that really stood out with them was just their development plan for me,” Hacopian emphasized. The Nationals were captivated by the way Hacopian responded, and they noted that he was one of only a few candidates for their selection. “He was super honest and very straightforward about what he thinks he’s really good at and what he thinks he can improve,” Horowitz said.
Hacopian is known for his plate discipline, ranking among the best in this class across most hitting metrics, especially exit velocity and hitting percentage. Most striking: This spring, he whiffed on pitches in the zone less than 10 percent of the time.
In 42 games with the Aggies, Hacopian hit .319 with a .405 on-base percentage. The righty has some power upside — his 11 home runs back that up — though he was shakier at the plate, especially in generating loft, while dealing with back issues for part of this year.
While the injury played a role in Hacopian’s switch from shortstop to second base — with some days as designated hitter — his defense remains a question mark. He isn’t noticeably quick, limiting his lateral range, which he said the Nationals emphasized needed improvement. He may end up in a corner outfield spot in the majors. “I’m excited to play wherever they see fit,” he said. “I just want to become the best player possible.”
For some Nationals fans, Hacopian may be a familiar face. Before transferring to College Station for his junior season, he played two years at Maryland alongside his brother, Eddie. Even more notable: Their father, Derek, is a former Maryland star who was the 1992 ACC player of the year.
Chris Hacopian grew up a stone’s throw from D.C., playing at Winston Churchill High School while living in Rockville, Maryland. He was even a 2022 All-Met selection as a junior.
So Hacopian watched the draft from his home just up the road, surrounded by family. He FaceTimed his brother, who is playing for the Frontier League’s Québec Capitales. “When they called my name, it was just an unreal feeling,” he said. “I’m looking forward to winning another World Series.” For a childhood Nationals fan — he was only 15 at the time of that last title — this was a dream.
“I’ve been to that park countless amounts of times,” Hacopian continued. “But actually walking through the dugout where the players walk and onto the field, it’s just a different feeling. … That’s exactly where I want to be.”
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While the trade deadline is the immediate concern — with the Nationals in the wild-card race — the team’s reshaped, young front office has placed its confidence in players such as Hacopian for the future. And this was the first true opportunity to shape the depths of its minor league system.
Before the draft, Washington’s amateur scouting department produced profiles for the team’s top 200 prospects, outlining how its system would focus on developing them. Throughout the entire process, the Nationals’ player development department — as robust as ever — was woven into every decision. While no selection in the MLB draft provides immediate value, Washington’s aim is to lower its rate of straight whiffs.
To achieve that, the Nationals have trotted out a simple goal: identify and draft players with difficult-to-teach traits. If they can find a guy who excels in one or two areas, they’re confident they can train him to do the rest.
“The other teams that I met with did not have a presentation as organized as the Nationals did,” he said. Why? Washington’s front office thinks of itself as marketing to the player just as much as the return.
“In our minds, when you are meeting with all these players at the combine, you put yourself in their shoes,” Toboni said. “I would want to know is: How am I going to get better in this organization versus the 29 other organizations?”
Specifically, Nationals hitting director CJ Gillman met with Hacopian before the selection to discuss how the team would approach making him pull the ball more. “It’s a testament to what the guys who are leading that office and that organization are ready to do,” Hacopian said, though Toboni still thinks Washington can fine-tune its draft system: “The more time you do that, the better you get.”
In the second round (No. 42), the Nationals selected TCU outfielder Chase Brunson, whose all-around ability makes up for a lack of clear star tools. He’s aggressive at the plate, but he makes solid contact, hitting over .300 in each of his past two college seasons. His primary issue is speed, and he might end up shifting to right field, where his above-average arm strength should serve him well.
“He was one of the best players in college baseball,” Horowitz said. “And he engaged well with us with our player plans, and [he’s] someone we think we can really help develop.”
To follow, Washington took a flier in the third round (No. 90), selecting shortstop Luke Williams out of Pennsylvania’s Franklin Regional High School. The bet is on sheer athleticism — Toboni referred to Williams as a “twitched-up kid.” Some scouts believe the Vanderbilt commit is the fastest prospect in this class, with high defensive upside. He’s expected to sign and begin his professional career.
A round later (No. 106), the Nationals finished the night with right-hander Cooper Harris from Flower Mound High School in Texas, an unexpected fall to that slot. His fastball tops out at 96, but his feel for four pitches (and relative control) is inspiring, especially given that he turned 18 in June.
They’ll each add to a revamped farm system, joining prospects like Eli Willits and Miguel Sime Jr., both of whom were selected for the Futures Game. Led by Hacopian, this group makes up another valuable wave in the Nationals’ minor league reload.
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