Washington Nationals 1st-round pick from Potomac Md. signs contract

baseball player pictured from behind staring out at empty baseball stadium — Washington Nationals first-round draft selection Chris Hacopian signed his contract with the club on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, at Nationals Park. (Courtesy Washington Nationals)

baseball player holds up jersey in room — Chris Hacopian, a 21-year-old second baseman and 11th overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft, has deep ties to the D.C. region (Courtesy Washington Nationals)

baseball player in street clothes on left shakes hand with business executive in room after signing contract — Chris Hacopian is from Potomac, Maryland, and played his high school ball at Winston Churchill, where he was named the 2022 Maryland Gatorade Player of the Year and a 2022 Washington Post All-Met selection. (Courtesy Washington Nationals)

baseball player looks into glass case of accolades, side view — According to MLB.com, Hacopian grew up a Nationals fan, admiring the likes of Ian Desmond, Danny Espinosa and others. (Courtesy Washington Nationals)

baseball player in street cloths bends head down while putting on ball cap — After inking his contract Wednesday, Hacopian donned his new jersey and ball cap and stepped onto D.C.’s beloved diamond as a part of the Nationals organization for the first time. (Courtesy Washington Nationals)

baseball player with back to camera walks down tunnel on way to field — After inking his contract Wednesday, Hacopian donned his new jersey and ball cap and stepped onto D.C.’s beloved diamond as a part of the Nationals organization for the first time. (Courtesy Washington Nationals)

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Washington Nationals’ first-round draft pick Chris Hacopian inked his first professional contract Wednesday, a moment made sweeter by the fact it was just a 30-minute drive from home to get to Nationals Park and put pen to paper.

The 21-year-old second baseman and 11th overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft has deep ties to the D.C. region. He’s from Potomac, Maryland, and played his high school ball at Winston Churchill, where he was named the 2022 Maryland Gatorade Player of the Year and a 2022 Washington Post All-Met selection.

According to MLB.com, Hacopian grew up a Nationals fan, admiring the likes of Ian Desmond, Danny Espinosa and others. He also played his first two collegiate seasons at the University of Maryland, where his father Derek played before him, before transferring to Texas A&M for his junior season.

With the Aggies, Hacopian hit .319 with 11 home runs and 41 RBI across 42 games en route to being named First-Team All-Southeastern Conference and a Third-Team All-American by Baseball America, the Nationals said in a news release.

After inking his contract Wednesday, Hacopian donned his new jersey and ball cap and stepped onto D.C.’s beloved diamond as a part of the Nationals organization for the first time.

“That was so cool, oh my gosh. I’ve been in the stands like, 100 times, but being on the field is so different,” he said.

Hacopian was ranked 14th among MLB Draft prospects by MLB.com. The 6-foot-1-inch, 210-pound second baseman boasted one of the best bats in college baseball, according to MLB.com, with excellent control over the strike zone and feel for the barrel, along with solid pop.

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