Latest Intel Suggest Nationals Could Take High-Upside Swing in 2026 MLB Draft

The Washington Nationals might draft this player.

Washington Nationals logo | Brad Mills-Imagn Images

There is still time for boards to get finalized ahead of the 2026 MLB Draft that gets underway on July 11. And for the Washington Nationals, who sit at pick No. 11, they are going to take all the time they can to ensure they make the right selection.

Everything makes it seem like this is a top-heavy class. UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky and prep shortstop Grady Emerson appear to be the two best players, with Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey coming in third. UC Santa Barbara right-hander Jackson Flora looks like the best pitcher in the draft, while prep stars Jacob Lombard and Eric Booth Jr. might be considered top-five talents.

None of that pertains to the Nationals, though. Those players will be long gone by the time they select, which means Washington's pick will be impacted by what the teams ahead of them decide to do. Because of that, it's been hard to project exactly who Paul Toboni and his front office are targeting, although one name has continued to come up in recent mock drafts.

Jared Grindlinger Mocked to Nationals Once Again

White Washington Nationals hat on top of a black mitt | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Jim of Callis of MLB Pipeline has the Nationals taking two-way prep star Jared Grindlinger at No. 11 in his latest mock draft. He has consistently been linked to Washington, and the latest bit of information from Callis suggests that's who the team could take in the first round.

"Other teams believe the Nationals are the strongest possibility to pop Grindlinger in the top 20 selections," he shared.

Rolling the dice on high-upside youngsters is something Toboni was part of when he was with the Boston Red Sox. That mentality could follow him to the nation's capital, which might cause him to take a swing on the left-handed pitcher and lefty-hitting outfielder.

That selection would probably be seen as a reach, though. MLB Pipeline has Grindlinger at No. 18 on their big board, and since he's 17 years old, this would be a long-term project for the Nationals that creates the possibility that he might not live up to his first-round billing. However, the two-way allure is strong when it comes to Grindlinger. And it seems like evaluators are split when it comes to what position he's going to play as a professional.

Jared Grindlinger Could Be Pitcher or Outfielder as a Pro

Bucket of baseballs | Rhona Wise-Imagn Images

There are evaluators out there that believe he's going to focus on becoming a full-time outfielder, while others think his best route would be to concentrate on just pitching. Both options present a possible pathway to the majors, so it will be interesting to see how Washington views him.

When it comes to Grindlinger's pitching profile, there's a lot to like. At 6-foot-3, he has reached the mid-90 mph range on his fastball at the age of 17, and he usually sits in the low-90s. He pairs that with a changeup as his primary secondary pitch, while he's been playing around with both a slider and a sweeper.

As for his hitting profile, Grindlinger is a contact-oriented batter. MLB Pipeline says that scouts believe there is room for power to emerge at some point, but considering his wiry build at 190 pounds, the hope is that tool will be developed when he gets older.

If this is who the Nationals have circled at pick No. 11, that would certainly give them another high-upside prospect. And while there is risk involved with taking Grindlinger at pick No. 11, getting the youngster into their pipeline as a 17-year-old could help him reach his ceiling.