This Draft Prospect Is Someone to Heavily Monitor for Nationals' First-Round Pick

The Washington Nationals could view this player as a target in the 2026 MLB Draft.

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It will be interesting to see how the Washington Nationals approach the 2026 MLB Draft.

Following another disappointing season in 2025, they weren't able to be rewarded with a top pick. Instead, after selecting first overall the previous draft, they were slotted into the No. 11 spot this time around due to being a "payor club" that prevents them from picking in the lottery back-to-back years.

So Paul Toboni and his well-regarded front office will have to use their acumen to land a difference maker during their first draft in charge of the Nationals. And as they look to get this rebuild going in the right direction under their leadership, the first-round pick is going to garner a lot of attention.

Keep an Eye on Tyler Bell as Nationals' First-Round Pick Option

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Someone to monitor during the upcoming draft process in the mind of Federal Baseball's Paul Cubbage is University of Kentucky shortstop Tyler Bell.

"Everything about Bell's game, from his athleticism, to his defensive ability at shortstop, to his top-end exit velocities, makes me believe he is the kind of prospect Paul Toboni will be targeting in his first draft with the Washington Nationals. I expect Toboni and his staff will be keeping a keen eye on how he progresses in his second season at Kentucky, and perhaps will even make their way out to Lexington to get a look at him as the 2026 college baseball season gets rolling," he wrote.

For those fans who don't necessarily keep up with the college game or follow along with draft prospects, Cubbage did a fantastic job of laying out what makes Bell someone that would land on Washington's radar.

Two things stood out from his analysis and should get fans excited about the possibility of the Nationals taking him with their 2026 first-round pick.

Breakout Campaign Could Be Coming This Collegiate Season

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Bell played as a true freshman in the best college baseball conference. He slashed .296/.385/.522 with 10 home runs, 17 doubles and 46 RBIs across 55 games played, with 57 strikeouts compared to drawing 24 walks.

While those are solid numbers, they don't necessarily jump off the page and scream future Major League Baseball superstar. However, Cubbage dug into some underlying metrics that Bell had, and a breakout could be coming in Year 2.

"Bell's exit velocities were among the best of anyone in the country, ripping the ball from both the left and the right side of the plate. He also does an excellent job at pulling fly balls, helping to maximize his power output. ... I am confident in his second go-around against SEC pitching this spring that he will improve these numbers and make me even more confident in his future hitting ability at the next level," he wrote.

Expect @UKBaseball shortstop Tyler Bell to have a massive season this spring

Last season as a freshman he hit .296 with 17 doubles and 10 home runs. Switch hitter with a ton of pop from both sides of the plate. First round pick in July pic.twitter.com/nKBfyg51Ju

— Stephen Schoch (@bigdonkey47) December 31, 2025

As far as his defensive upside goes, Bell's athleticism means he can shift around the diamond. That could come into play since Eli Willits appears to be the future at shortstop. But by the time Bell reaches the majors, he could have shifted over to third base, second or even a corner outfield spot.

Of course, being taken 11th overall is likely contingent on Bell having a breakout performance in his second season of college baseball. But there's a good reason to believe that could happen based on his pedigree, which might also be another reason why Washington has eyes on him in the future.

Tyler Bell Has Previous High Draft Pedigree

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Going to Kentucky wasn't Bell's only option coming out of high school. He could have turned down collegiate baseball altogether since he was taken 66th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft by the Tampa Bay Rays. But they didn't have enough cash to offer him to convince him to forgo college baseball, so he enrolled at Kentucky and is now looking at the possibility of getting taken higher in the 2026 draft.

"As far as stamps of approval come with prospects, it doesn't get much better than them having been highly coveted by the Tampa Bay Rays," Cubbage wrote.

While the Nationals wouldn't take someone at No. 11 overall strictly because the Rays previously drafted that player, it is notable that they are the organization that was willing to select him out of high school since they are notoriously elite at talent evaluation.

Again, Bell will have to perform during the upcoming collegiate season for him to be considered by Washington with their 11th pick. But he is someone fans should keep an eye on going forward since he could be a target of theirs when it comes that time.