Chris Hacopian is staying close to home.

The Washington Nationals selected the Potomac native with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft on Sunday. Hacopian, a 21-year-old second baseman who just finished his junior season at Texas A&M, will enter the Nationals' farm system as a top infield prospect. He played four years of varsity baseball at Winston Churchill High School before heading to college.

"I've got so much family here right now at the house," Hacopian told MLB.com after the pick. "Seeing how happy they are that I'm going to stay home, whenever I make it to Opening Day, they're going to be able to come — it's just 30 minutes down the road."

At Churchill, Hacopian earned the 2022 Maryland Gatorade Player of the Year award and a Washington Post All-Met selection. He spent two seasons at the University of Maryland before transferring to Texas A&M, where he hit .319 with 11 home runs and 41 RBIs in 42 games this spring. Baseball America named him a Third-Team All-American and ranked him the No. 11 prospect in the draft class.

The Hacopian baseball family

Baseball runs deep in the household. Chris's father, Derek Hacopian, was drafted by Cleveland in 1992 after being named ACC Player of the Year at the University of Maryland, where he batted .492 with 23 home runs and 83 RBIs, according to MLB.com. Derek spent multiple seasons in Cleveland's minor league system.

Chris's older brother, Eddie, is an infielder for the Québec Capitales of the independent Frontier League. Eddie FaceTimed from Canada to join the family's draft-day celebration.

The Nationals' new direction

The pick marks the first draft selection by the Nationals' new front office led by President of Baseball Operations Paul Toboni and Assistant General Manager Justin Horowitz. Toboni said the local connection wasn't why the team drafted Hacopian but called it "a really cool thing" that the prospect already feels tied to the organization and community.

Hacopian joins a young Nationals core that includes two-time All-Star outfielder James Wood, who grew up in Olney. Both players are Montgomery County products now tied to the franchise's future.