{"id":9287,"date":"2026-08-18T12:22:34","date_gmt":"2026-08-18T12:22:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=9287"},"modified":"2026-08-18T12:22:34","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T12:22:34","slug":"nationals-newcomers-get-ahead-of-the-curve-at-florida-draft-camp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=9287","title":{"rendered":"Nationals\u2019 newcomers get ahead of the curve at Florida draft camp"},"content":{"rendered":"

The organization hopes its newest prospects will build chemistry and good habits as they begin their paths to the majors.<\/strong><\/p>

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Chris Hacopian, the Nationals’ first-round pick, was among the players who reported for the team’s draft camp in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Manuel Balce Ceneta\/AP)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

The Washington Nationals\u2019 newest players woke up to their alarms in West Palm Beach, Florida, at 7 a.m. sharp. They had a bus to catch at 7:45.<\/p>\n

But this bus wasn\u2019t taking them to school, as they were accustomed. They are professional baseball players now, headed from their hotel rooms to their morning workout at the Nationals\u2019 complex for draft camp.<\/p>\n

After being drafted and signed by the organization in mid-July<\/a>, the players reported to West Palm Beach for the camp, the first of its kind under the new front office<\/a>. They then got their first taste of pro baseball, going through a rigorous schedule of meetings, training and live batting practices.<\/p>\n

And they played mini-golf. Lots and lots of mini-golf.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt gets pretty competitive,\u201d said Chase Brunson, the team\u2019s second-round pick out of TCU. \u201cIt\u2019s all pretty equal, I\u2019d say, so that\u2019s what makes it fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

That fun, though, came at the end of their training day. First they had work to do.<\/p>\n

After arriving at the facility, the players began their day with a hearty breakfast. Then they were off to meetings, both individual and group, followed by work in the batting cages. Here, most of the hitters got their first taste of the Trajekt, a tool that simulates the velocity, spin rate and release height of major league pitchers. Even those who went to big-name college programs didn\u2019t have access to that level of technology.<\/p>\n

They also learned the expectations and started to develop the routines that will help them handle the demands of being a professional. Baseball is now their job and main responsibility.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWhen you get to the major leagues and have some familiar faces around you in the clubhouse and dugout, I think it goes a long way and provides a sense of comfort,\u201d Nationals Manager Blake Butera said. (Terrance Williams\/AP)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

The Nationals have made an effort to replicate their philosophy and setup at each level, starting in West Palm Beach. The sooner the prospects can establish a routine that works for them, the easier it\u2019ll be when they move up.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe big thing they preach is everything they do, even at the big league level, it just all translates down, no matter what level you\u2019re at,\u201d Brunson said. \u201cYou\u2019re doing the same stuff, so nothing changes from each level.\u201d<\/p>

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At the end of the first week, players met with coaches and went through their data. For a player such as Luke Williams, an 18-year-old infielder selected in the third round, the main directive is to gain weight and get stronger.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was super cool to go through that first week, and then they sit me down and pull up all the numbers,\u201d Williams said. \u201cSo it\u2019s like, \u2018Here\u2019s what it actually is with the data,\u2019 and not just, \u2018We think you should do this.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

The first week was about learning. The subsequent weeks have been about implementing the lessons into their play. The players have done more simulated games and live batting practices, and even more work off the Trajekt.<\/p>\n

Their days have typically ended around noon, leaving them with lots of time to fill. Some days, they went to the beach or shopping. But most nights, they ended up at PopStroke, a mini-golf course just a short skip away from their hotel. The membership only cost $25 a month and came with a 25 percent discount off food \u2014 a particular boon for those at the end of the draft class who didn\u2019t get large signing bonuses.<\/p>\n

Matthew Dallas, a 12th-round pick out of Wake Forest, has developed a reputation for being the best mini-golfer.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s just really clutch,\u201c said Chris Hacopian, the 11th overall selection out of Texas A&M. \u201dHe\u2019s been a stud.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the Nationals may not have expected their draftees to become obsessed with mini-golf, bonding as a group was one reason they wanted to hold a draft camp. These players will probably move up through the ranks together, and being bonded from the start will only benefit the organization when they eventually get to the majors.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s part of what made the Tampa Bay Rays, Washington Manager Blake Butera\u2019s former team, successful. Now, the Nationals are hoping it\u2019ll pay off for them, too.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you get to the major leagues and have some familiar faces around you in the clubhouse and dugout, I think it goes a long way and provides a sense of comfort,\u201d Butera said.<\/p>

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The organization hopes its newest prospects will build chemistry and good habits as they begin their paths to the majors.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9284,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9287","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nNationals\u2019 newcomers get ahead of the curve at Florida draft camp - Moving Insider USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=9287\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Nationals\u2019 newcomers get ahead of the curve at Florida draft camp - Moving Insider USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The organization hopes its newest prospects will build chemistry and good habits as they begin their paths to the majors.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=9287\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Moving Insider USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-08-18T12:22:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/a84d181d4040d10891f90ccc84f0c742-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1707\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=9287#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=9287\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/22d40ab81790f6a361021763bb56ef03\"},\"headline\":\"Nationals\u2019 newcomers get ahead of the curve at Florida draft camp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-18T12:22:34+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=9287\"},\"wordCount\":853,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=9287#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/e924d0cec4531a12d2111c9782b1100d-scaled.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Interesting\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=9287#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=9287\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=9287\",\"name\":\"Nationals\u2019 newcomers get ahead of the curve at Florida draft camp - 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