Nationals Sign Almost Everyone From Their 2026 Draft Class, Add Eight Undrafted Players
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On paper, the Washington Nationals did well in the 2026 MLB Draft.
While they didn't have one of the top picks like they have had in year's past, they were still able to land a high-upside prospect with their first-round selection, as infielder Chris Hacopian is seen as having the best all-around hit tool in the class and has already been comped to a multi-time All-Star. Beyond him, the Nationals added outfielder Chase Brunson in the second round, who has some exciting tools as a two-way player with power. And then, Washington went to the prep ranks to draft speedy shortstop Luke Williams and right-handed pitcher Cooper Harris.
It was already reported that all four of the Nationals' Day 1 picks were signed to contracts, which was a huge win considering Williams and Harris were committed to play collegiately at Vanderbilt and Texas, respectively. But now, Washington revealed they signed 18 out of their 20 picks from this year's draft, which is a great haul.
Nationals Sign 18 of Their 2026 Draft Picks
Round 1: Chris Hacopian (2B) - Texas A&M University
Round 2: Chase Brunson (OF) - Texas Christian University
Round 3: Luke Williams (SS) - Franklin Sr. Regional HS (Pa.)
Round 4: Cooper Harris (RHP) - Flower Mound HS (Texas)
Round 5: Daniel Cuvet (3B) - University of Miami (Fla.)
Round 6: Cooper Allen (RHP) - UNC-Wilmington
Round 7: Gage Peterson (RHP) - Appalachian State University
Round 8: Max Hansmann (RHP) - University of Evansville
Round 9: Cashel Dugger (C) - UCLA
Round 10: Nick Williams (OF) - Michigan State University
Round 11: Weston Moss (RHP) - Texas A&M University
Round 12: Matthew Dallas (LHP) - Wake Forest University
Round 13: Cody Howard (RHP) - University of Texas
Round 14: Zack Konstantinovsky (RHP) - Rutgers University
Round 15: Francisco Rivero (C) - Canyon del Oro HS (Ariz.)
Round 18: Avery Ortiz (INF) - Oklahoma State University
Round 19: Jack Brooks (OF) - University of Oregon
Round 20: Anson Seibert (LHP) - Johnson County CC (Kan.)
While the Nationals weren't able to sign all 20 of their selections like they did in the 2025 class, coming away with 18 out of the 20 is still a good result for an organization that is trying to build depth throughout their pipeline.
One of the ways they ensured that was going to happen was by selecting college players in the later rounds. It's not clear if that was a deliberate strategy of Paul Toboni and his front office, but it resulted in them coming to terms with 90% of this class.
The only two players who didn't sign with Washington were from the high school ranks, as outfielder Anthony Murphy from Corona High School in California and shortstop Isaiah Galason from Houston County High School in Georgia seem to have declined turning professional at this stage of their careers so they could play at the University of Miami and Georgia Tech, respectively.
Nationals Sign Eight Undrafted Players
The Nationals also announced the signing of eight undrafted players, and all of them are pitchers from the college ranks:
Cooper Carlgren (RHP) - Lamar University
Ciaran Caughey (RHP) - Kent State University
Kaleb Kantola (RHP) - Lipscomb University
Trevor Moore (RHP) - Stanford University
Anthony Neubeck (LHP) - Indiana University
Tyler Papenbrock (LHP) - University of Louisiana
Bennett Roemer (RHP) - North Greenville University
Miles Smith (RHP) - Kansas State University
The likelihood of anyone out of this batch becoming stars at the big league level is low. However, Washington needs as many arms as they can get to develop in their pitching lab. And by signing these eight collegiate pitchers, they have at least given themselves a chance to a find a diamond in the rough.
Exactly where the 18 draft picks and these undrafted players will begin their professional careers isn't clear at this time. But with a fresh group of prospects hitting the pipeline, there are now some new names to keep an eye on when it comes to their performance down on the farm.
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Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he worked at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad became the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continued to cover Penn State athletics. Currently, Brad is the Publisher for Washington Nationals On SI and covers multiple teams across the On SI network. He is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, where he and his co-host discuss topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai