In the first year under new President of Baseball Operations Paul Toboni, many people were very interested in what the Nationals' new philosophy would be this year. It appears that meant mostly bats early, including four of the first five picks and six of the top eight signing bonuses, followed by a slew of pitchers in the lower leverage spots. Washington swung big with the data darling Chris Hacopian at the first pick, took two huge swings on expensive preps in the third and fourth rounds, and hunted a lot of buy-low candidates in later rounds including several pitchers out with injuries. I like this Nationals class a lot better than former Mike Rizzo classes, especially as you get deeper into the search for sleepers in the cheaper slots.
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Note that the number before a player's name indicates their draft position. For example, "2-50" would indicate that a player was taken in the second round with the fiftieth overall pick.
1-11: 2B Chris Hacopian, Texas A&M
Slot value: $6.13 million. Signing bonus: $5.7 million ($433,500 below slot value).
My rank: #14. MLB Pipeline: #14. ESPN: #13.
Chris Hacopian makes it immediately clear that the analytically-inclined Toboni regime is nothing like the more traditional Mike Rizzo regime. A local kid, he grew up a Nationals fan in Potomac, Maryland and played ball at Winston Churchill High School just seven and a half miles northwest of the DC line. He began his career locally at Maryland, where he played with his brother Eddie and hit .347/.465/.614 with 29 home runs over 107 games in two seasons. When Eddie graduated, Chris headed west to Texas A&M for the bigger challenge of the SEC. Unsurprisingly if you watched him at Maryland, he succeeded, overcoming back problems that slowed him early to hit .319/.405/.578 with eleven home runs in 42 games. Hacopian might be the most analytically appealing hitter in the country, grading out as plus or better by virtually every under the hood measure. First of all, he almost never chases, running some of the lowest chase rates in the country among drafted bats and running a strong 12.8% walk rate. Second, when he does attack, he almost never misses, running excellent contact rates and just a 10.8% strikeout rate in 2026 that only rose to 12.5% against elite SEC weekend pitching. He's calm, cool, and collected in the box no matter the competition and executes his plan at the plate whether the pitcher wants him to or not. Next up, Hacopian is no slouch in the power department. His top-end exit velocities suggest plus power in the tank, though it does play more above average in games and he did not hit for as much impact with wood bats in the Cape Cod League last year (.258/.333/.364) as some had hoped. He did strike out just six times in 36 games against strong pitching up there, further exemplifying his plus hit tool. The Nationals believe the power will fully manifest in games in pro ball, especially if they can get him turning on the ball more often, where he could flirt with .400 on-base percentages while blasting 20-25+ home runs per season. It's a middle of the order profile projection for a guy whose value will come almost entirely from his bat. Hacopian is a below average runner and the back problems don't point to him suddenly becoming a speedster as he matures into his 20's, while his average arm strength doesn't offer a ton of defensive upside either. He has played all over the infield in college, even shortstop for some time in 2026, but fits best at second base where he will hope to be a fringy defender. If the keystone doesn't work out, he could end up at first base or in left field, where as a right handed hitter the pressure will be on his bat even more. Given the professional approach, strong bat to ball, and underlying raw power, his bat should play anywhere.
2-42: OF Chase Brunson, Texas Christian
Slot value: $2.39 million. Signing bonus: $1.8 million ($588,800 below slot value).
My rank: #51. MLB Pipeline: #50. ESPN: #38.
In the second round, Washington went with a second metric-friendly college bat in Chase Brunson. A three year starter at TCU, he has improved every year and hit .304/.462/.556 with ten home runs in 51 games in 2026. Brunson lacks a true plus tool, but he has a whole bunch of above average tools. He has a strong approach at the plate that keeps the strikeout rate down while increasing his walk rate from 10.6% over his first two seasons to 14.7% in 2026. Like Chris Hacopian, he makes plenty of contact as well, making for an above average all-around hit tool. It's a simple, direct right handed swing that naturally leverages his strength and hand-eye coordination. The power has played closer to average in games with a career high of only twelve home runs, but the exit velocities are strong and help him project for above average power. With a strong 6'3" frame and a late birthday that had him turn 21 just before the draft, he should continue to mature physically and maximize that power. In all, it could be a 20+ home run profile with solid batting averages, and with at least average or better speed, he could throw a few stolen bases in there as well. An outfielder by trade, he makes good reads and takes good routes in the outfield to profile as a potential center fielder. There's a chance he slides to a corner in deference to a more explosive defender, where he would be an above average defender in either left or right. The Southern California native is a likely everyday player in some capacity with a chance to be an impact bat in the near future. His $1.8 million signing bonus was also more than half a million below slot value, closer to the value of the #54 pick, giving the Nationals a little wiggle room for their next pick.
3-78: SS Luke Williams, Franklin Regional HS [PA]
Slot value: $1.07 million. Signing bonus: $2.5 million ($1.43 million above slot value).
My rank: #68. MLB Pipeline: #90. ESPN: #57.
Washington took a massive swing with Luke Williams, going more than double the slot value to sign him away from a Vanderbilt commitment with a bonus roughly the value of the #40 pick. To call Williams talented would be an understatement. While he wasn't seen on the summer showcase circuit in 2025 due to an ankle injury, he had scouting directors streaming into the Pittsburgh area with an electric spring in 2026 to rocket himself up boards. Listed at 6', 180 pounds, he is a freak athlete that looked like he didn't belong on the same field as much of his competition. He takes big, explosive swings from the right side that leverage his skinny frame into average power, and as he matures physically, he could reach above average power. Perhaps most apparent at this point is his plus-plus speed, which he uses and abuses by flying around the field both on the bases and in the field. The hit tool is a little less proven, as he performed well up in Pittsburgh but hasn't been seen against higher level pitching. Had he appeared on the showcase circuit last year and succeeded, he would probably be a no-doubt first round pick and make $2.5 million look like a bargain. That's of course a big wild card, and the Nationals know that the jump from high school pitching, especially up north, to pro ball is often a very difficult task. Still, watching him just dominate the average competition he faced in Pittsburgh with every single facet of his game, from clobbering home runs to taking the extra base (or two) at every single opportunity to gliding to every ball hit in his direction, leaves an impression. Defensively, his wheels and plus arm give him every chance to stick at shortstop, though he'll have to get more consistent with his actions and glovework to profile there long term. His speed, arm, and high energy style of play would fit great in center field, where he could be a plus defender. There is real five-tool upside here for a kid who could hit 15-20 or more home runs per season, steal a bunch of bases, and win some Gold Gloves, but he'll have to hit. The Nationals are convinced he'll do so, and besides lack of opportunity, he's shown no reason to think he won't. Williams has a very good chance to be the best player in this Nationals draft class.
4-106: RHP Cooper Harris, Flower Mound HS [TX]
Slot value: $740,500. Signing bonus: $1.5 million ($759,500 above slot value).
My rank: #66. MLB Pipeline: #76. ESPN: #119.
After spending a boatload on Luke Williams, the Nationals weren't done swinging yet and gave another double slot value bonus to Cooper Harris, previously a Texas commit who instead got a bonus roughly the value of the #62 pick. The first pitcher in this Nationals' draft class, his profile might not be as electric as that of Williams on the surface but he does inject a premium arm into the system. Like Williams, he leveraged a loud senior year to push his way up rankings and wound up both as the first Texas high school pitcher drafted and the highest paid in this class. Despite being young for the class, Harris is one of the more well-rounded prep arms out there. He has a fastball in the low 90's that peaks at 96, while a full arsenal of secondary pitches makes him a reliable arm. He has a nice top to bottom curveball that steals strikes, while his above average slider has two-plane action and is likely his best secondary. There's a solid changeup in tow as well, giving him a full, effective four pitch mix of average or better offerings. Harris repeats everything well, filling up the strike zone with all four pitches and command that grades out as plus by prep standards. He works both sides of the plate effectively and already looks poised to navigate big league lineups. The 6'3" righty is also already very physical, with a simple, athletic delivery that should point to a long career in a big league rotation. Harris has all the makings of a future #3 or #4 starter, with less risk than most prep arms. If the fastball ticks up a few miles per hour, he'll be a weapon.
5-138: 3B Daniel Cuvet, Miami
Slot value: $542,200. Signing bonus: $497,500 ($44,700 below slot value).
My rank: #117. MLB Pipeline: #120. ESPN: #152.
Switching to money saving mode after grabbing the two expensive preps, Washington went slightly under slot value to bring in one of the ACC's most accomplished bats. A highly regarded prep prospect in his own right, Daniel Cuvet hit campus at Miami and immediately took the ACC by storm, hitting .351/.429/.736 with a Miami freshman-record 24 home runs in 57 games and earning consensus Freshman All-American honors. Two years later, he finishes his Miami career with 54 home runs, 204 RBI, and a .347/.439/.704 slash line across 159 games, putting his name up with the all time Miami greats like Pat Burrell, Ryan Braun, and Yonder Alonso. Unsurprisingly, Cuvet has plus raw power that he taps very consistently in games, showing his best power to the pull side but easily clearing fences to all fields even when he doesn't quite square it up. The right handed swing can get a bit grooved at times and the pure bat to ball is fringy, with further questions looming as he ascends the minor league ladder and faces better and better pitching that can exploit those holes. Formerly an aggressive hitter, he has toned down his approach at Miami and increased his walk rate from 9.8% to 11.2% to 17.4% while slashing his strikeout rate from 23.7% to 19.0% to 15.8%. That improved approach will significantly help his hit tool projection, helping him attack the pitches in his wheelhouse without helping pitchers on pitches outside of it. At 6'3", 240 pounds, he has a slugger's frame but will need to work hard to stick at third base, where he is understandably a bit slower on his feet and moving side to side. There is a good chance he moves to first base in the long run, or the Nationals could try him out in right field, where his plus arm might offset his below average speed a little bit. Cuvet will provide almost all of his value with his bat, projecting for 20+ home runs a year with lower batting averages if he can make enough contact to tap his power. If not, he is most likely a platoon power bat earning reps at the corners against left handed pitching.
6-167: RHP Cooper Allen, UNC Wilmington
Slot value: $410,300. Signing bonus: $187,500 ($222,800 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. ESPN: unranked.
Fully in money-saving mode, the Nationals took on a little more off-the-radar name in Cooper Allen. He spent two years in the UNC Wilmington bullpen, struggling in his freshman season then taking a step forward to become a promising reliever as a sophomore. Jumping to the rotation as a junior in 2026, he turned heads with a torrid start to the season including back to back ten strikeout performances against Fordham and UConn in February, then continued it into what was a really impressive year. One of the top starting pitchers in the CAA, Allen gets it done with a low 90's fastball and a full arsenal of secondaries including a deep slider, a shorter cutter, a curveball, and a changeup. His command has improved tremendously as he has slashed his walk rate from 15.2% as a freshman to 7.9% as a sophomore to just 6.7% as a junior, allowing him to really work back and forth with all of his pitches and pitch deep into games. Despite being his first season in the rotation, he went at least six innings in eight of his fifteen starts and thrice completed eight innings. He's efficient, too, in fact culminating his season with a 104 pitch, eleven strikeout, complete game win over Monmouth in May. The 6'1" righty does not have a plus pitch in his arsenal and will likely need to be crafty to work his way up as a back-end starter, but gives the Nationals a nice potential rotation play for a lower signing bonus regardless. He grew up in Wake Forest, North Carolina, just north of Raleigh and in fact closer to Nationals Park than it is to any other big league stadium.
7-196: RHP Gage Peterson, Appalachian State
Slot value: $322,300. Signing bonus: $247,500 ($74,800 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: #247. ESPN: unranked.
Gage Peterson makes it back to back righties out of the Tar Heel State, though he originally hails from just over the border in East Tennessee. Beginning his college career locally at Walters State JC in Tennessee, he succeeded for two years in Morristown and transferred to Appalachian State in 2026. He continued to roll in Boone, going 8-1 with a 3.28 ERA and 107 strikeouts, the second highest total ever for a Mountaineer pitcher. Peterson has a sneaky profile that will be a fun development play, rather than the more straightforward pitching profile of the two Coopers above him. The fastball sits in the low 90's and tops out at 94 right now, underwhelming velocity but far from a fringy pitch. Peterson's lanky 6'5" frame helps him get excellent extension and ride on the pitch, making it play way above that velocity and giving it plus potential if he can add a few ticks of velocity. He mixes in a full set of secondaries in a slider, curveball, and changeup, though none stand out above average this point and will need significant refinement if he wants to remain a starter. Peterson also has some effort in his delivery that features some moving parts, leading to fringier but still playable command. The Nationals will look to streamline him while maximizing the effectiveness of both his unique fastball and his offspeed stuff, which could make him a solid starting pitching option in the future. There is a decent chance he winds up in the bullpen, where his fastball could play up significantly especially with the velocity boost that comes with pitching in short stints.
9-256: C Cashel Dugger, UCLA
Slot value: $216,100. Signing bonus: $213,600 ($2,500 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: #227. ESPN: #245.
This is a pretty straightforward pick as far as late-round catchers go. Cashel Dugger started about half of UCLA's games as a freshman, then has served as the Bruins' starting catcher for each of the last two seasons. In those three years, he never hit too much, finishing his career with just eight home runs and a .258/.390/.349 slash line over 145 games. Dugger uses a simple setup from the left side, working counts extremely well while making plenty of contact. He has excellent pitch recognition and consistently finds his way on base, working walks or dumping line drives over the infielders' heads. He came into UCLA with zero power and it has taken significant strength gains to get to the below average power he has now, so he may never profile for double digit home runs in the majors. However, the Nationals see an imposing frame at 6'3", 210 pounds and believe they could squeeze a little more out of him, perhaps getting up to fringy power and helping him threaten for 10-15 home runs per season, which would be plenty given his on-base ability and defensive value. The latter is the real draw here, as Dugger is one of the game's better defensive backstops as an excellent framer and blocker with a strong arm. He's a natural back there and also works extremely well with pitchers, which gives him a chance to provide significant value to the organization before he even reaches the majors just by working with their young arms. The Denver-area native is also young for a college junior and turned 21 shortly after the draft, giving him a little extra time to find offensive impact. If he does, he has a chance to work his way up as a strong, archetypal glove-first backup catcher.
12-346: LHP Matthew Dallas, Wake Forest
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: $175,000 ($25,000 against bonus pool).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. ESPN: unranked.
The Nationals hope that Matthew Dallas is a high-upside buy-low prospect. A highly regarded prep prospect out of a Memphis-area high school in 2023, he began his career in-state at Tennessee and showed some promise out of the Volunteers' bullpen as a freshman. Command hindered him in the Cape Cod League that summer and he transferred to Wake Forest for the 2025 season, where he made fourteen starts and showed real upside as a draft-eligible sophomore. Signability sent him back to Winston-Salem, where he struck out 14 of the 32 batters he faced (43.8%) over his first two starts against Indiana State and Siena. That had many scouts, including those reporting to Washington DC, leaning forward in their chairs excited about what could come of this junior year. Unfortunately, he went down with Tommy John surgery after that second start and missed the rest of the season. Dallas has a low 90's fastball up to 94 that he complements with a full assortment of secondaries, though he's still working to get consistent with them. His best is a big, deep curveball with great finish, which he can turn over into a solid slider as well and finishes things off with a changeup. The 6'5" lefty has plenty of projection even if he was already 22 on draft day, especially once he gets healthy and into a pro development program (though Wake Forest is pretty close to that already). At this point, he struggles with command and that combined with health may eventually push him to the bullpen, but his build and the fluidity with which he moves should hopefully point to improved command as he settles in. There is starter upside here if he can get healthy and recapture the potential he showed as a teenager, albeit with a long road to get there for someone who is already 22. Dallas should expect to return to the mound sometime in mid-2027.
15-436: C Francisco Rivero, Canyon Del Oro HS [AZ]
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: $250,000 ($100,000 against bonus pool).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. ESPN: unranked.
The Nationals' largest expenditure in the back of the draft was Francisco Rivero, who earned eighth round money to forego a local Arizona commitment and sign with the Nationals. Formerly a Venezuelan international prospect who appeared bound for the Dodgers, he was ruled ineligible to sign as an international free agent and instead graduated from Canyon Del Oro High School in Tucson as a regular draft target. The Nationals get him here for a fraction of what he was expected to sign for in LA, which could be a nice bargain. However, he was suspended in October after testing positive for Stanozolol, so he will miss the first 56 games of the 2027 season and come eligible again mid-season. Rivero is a thickly built 6', 215 pounds, showing a balanced offensive profile with strong bat to ball and some latent pop that he'll learn to tap more in pro ball. For now, the power is fringy, but his strength and some mechanical tweaks to get him a bit smoother and more explosive through the zone should get him there. He is well-regarded for his work behind the plate, including for a strong arm and athleticism that might be somewhat unexpected at his size. If Rivero can bounce back from the suspension and bring out his power, he has nice upside as another catcher in the organization.
18-526: IF Avery Ortiz, Oklahoma State
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: $212,500 ($72,500 against bonus pool).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. ESPN: unranked.
With the last of their overage money, Washington brought in Avery Ortiz for ninth round money here in the eighteenth round. Avery Ortiz is another upside play whose numbers at Oklahoma State do not match his potential. Injuries have limited him to 66 games over three seasons, where he hit a modest .253/.361/.462 with 12 home runs, never totaling more than eight extra base hits in a season. He similarly never did much in two Cape Cod League stints (.211/.309/.310, 1 HR in 22 games). However, he could grow into a force. A bit undersized at 5'11", 190 pounds, he packs a punch at the plate with plus raw power from a really leveraged, efficient right handed swing. That power has not shown up in games just yet, though it does seem to be coming as he has blasted some baseballs at the top end of his exit velocities and has continued to do so with wood in the Nationals system. Having cut his strikeout rate from 23.5% over his first two seasons to 16.0% as a junior, he seems to be putting himself in more of a position to tap it as well. Ortiz remains an aggressive hitter and may drive the ball more often by hunting pitches in his wheelhouse, given his strong bat to ball often creates weak contact outside of it, giving the Nationals a potential developmental goal. The Tulsa native played second base as a freshman, shortstop as a sophomore, and third base as a junior, so the Nationals drafted him as a generic infielder and will try him out around the field. His versatility should serve him well as he looks to bring his bat along and take leaps and bounds forward in pro ball. There is sneaky upside here at the very end of the draft.
20-586: RHP Anson Seibert, Johnson County JC [KS]
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: $150,000.
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. ESPN: unranked.
The Nationals finished things off with Anson Seibert, another buy-low upside play with a lot to prove. Seibert was a famous name in the 2024 prep class, earning first round looks early in his high school career as an early candidate for the top prep arm in the class. He stock slowly faded throughout his time at Blue Valley Southwest High School in the Kansas City suburbs, and while he performed well in his senior year, a flexor strain ultimately ended that season in April with a fourth-ish round draft tag. Signability sent him to Tennessee, where he joined fellow incoming freshman and eventual Cardinals first rounder Tegan Kuhns as an excellent potential one-two punch in the rotation. Unfortunately, he never got healthy in Knoxville and missed the entire 2024-2025 school year, prompting him to transfer back home to Johnson County JC about eight miles from his high school. Finally healthy enough to get on the mound in 2026 after two years off, he made seven relief appearances for the Cavaliers to mixed results, but showed enough to grab the Nationals' interest with their final pick. Seibert is a towering 6'9", 235 pound righty who has filled out considerably as one of the most imposing figures you'll find on a mound anywhere. The. fastball touched 99 in high school but sat in the mid 90's after two years off, topping out at 96, with the hope that he can regain that velocity with a longer string of healthy innings under him. The offspeed stuff he showed as a prep is still there, with a solid slider and changeup that round out a dangerous three pitch mix. He is looking a little stiffer on the mound these days, so as has been the theme here, more time on the healthy mound should hopefully loosen him up and bring back that velocity and his command. A fully healthy Anson Seibert is a dangerous thing and worth far more than a twentieth round pick, fitting better in the middle of a big league rotation, but that is far from guaranteed and he may be forced to the bullpen long term to limit the wear and tear on his arm. As a draft-eligible sophomore, he turned 21 only shortly after the draft.
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