Monday, July 27

Welcome to the latest edition of the Nationals Beat newsletter. This is your stop for the latest on and off the field, from news to exclusive player interviews and insights, brought to you by MLB.com club reporter Jessica Camerato.

WASHINGTON -- Chris Hacopian’s phone has been blowing up since he was drafted by his hometown Nationals with their No. 1 overall pick. Two notifications made the 21-year-old second baseman, who grew up 30 minutes from Nationals Park, do a double-take.

The first was a follow on social media from one of his childhood idols, Danny Espinosa. Then came a direct message from his 2019 World Series hero, Howie Kendrick, wishing him good luck. 

“I was a big fan of his,” Hacopian said. “To see that he’s showing support to me, it means a lot and there’s a lot of gratitude there for that.”

Over the last two weeks, the Montgomery County, Md., native has been getting acclimated to his new life as a member of the Nationals organization. Hacopian already has signed with the club, began participating in a Draft class camp at the Nats training complex in West Palm Beach, Fla., and traveled back to Nationals Park to have a press conference, take batting practice and attend Friday’s game with his family. 

“I've had goals to be a professional baseball player for a long time, so this is everything that I've worked for, that my family's worked for,” Hacopian said. “… I have goals to not only be a professional baseball player, but to be a high-level Major League Baseball player. So the grind doesn't really stop at any point.” 

The Nationals selected Hacopian with the 11th pick out of Texas A&M University. He grew up in Montgomery County and began his collegiate career at the University of Maryland. Hacopian attended Winston Churchill High School in Potomac, where he was named the 2022 Maryland Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year.

“It was a dream [to play for the Nationals] because I was a huge fan,” said Hacopian. “But as I got closer to realizing I could become a pro, it wasn't so much like, ‘Where am I going to go?’ It was more like, ‘I want to be the best player possible.’ The fact that it is the Nationals, though, is really cool for myself and my family.” 

With the long-term goal of playing Major League Baseball in his backyard, Hacopian has begun laying the foundation at the training complex in Florida. 

“I'm excited to be in the organization now and to, honestly, just get to work with them,” Hacopian said. “I'm excited to go back to West Palm Beach for another week and take more swings, take more ground balls, and learn more from guys that are doing a really good job teaching the game.”

The first July trade chip has fallen in the Paul Toboni era with the Nationals.

Late Saturday night, the Nats acquired rookie left-hander Connelly Early from the Red Sox in exchange for third baseman Curtis Mead.

Early, 24, is having a standout first full season in the Majors. Following a dominant September callup last year, Early earned a spot in Boston’s starting rotation. He is 7-5 with a 3.44 ERA in 17 starts across 91 2/3 innings.

Early is currently rehabbing from left elbow inflammation, which he sustained in the series against the Nationals earlier this month. He threw a one-inning bullpen on Friday, and he was slated for a two-inning bullpen in the middle of this coming week. Early is expected to return in August.

Click here to read the complete trade analysis.

There is a possibility that Jake Irvin’s next appearance will be back with the Nationals. The right-hander, who is recovering from a shoulder strain, made his third rehab start on Friday with Double-A Harrisburg. He threw 3 2/3 scoreless innings with no hits, one walk, one hit batter and four strikeouts. Irvin was lifted after he reached his limit of 63 pitches. 

“Everything was great,” said manager Blake Butera. “I know he was upset he came out of the game; he wanted to just keep pitching. … He'll throw a bullpen again in a couple days, and just continue to stay on schedule. We'll let him know in the next few days where his next start will be.”

The Nationals added another red seat home run marker to their collection, thanks to James Wood. The team commemorated Wood’s July 4 upper-deck bash that traveled a Statcast-projected 428 feet to Section 236, Row B, Seat 8. It was the first red seat installed since Keibert Ruiz homered exactly two sections over from Wood on April 1, 2023. 

The Nationals signed 18 of the 20 players they selected in the 2026 Draft. Below are the details of their top five picks. Click here for the MLB Draft Tracker with the complete rundown of the Nats' Draft signings. 

Round 1: 2B Chris Hacopian (MLB No. 14 Draft prospect), Texas A&M University 

Signing bonus: $5.7 million 

Pick value: $6.13 million

Round 2: OF Chase Brunson (No. 50), Texas Christian University 

Signing bonus: $1.8 million 

Pick value: $2.39 million 

Round 3: SS Luke Williams (No. 90), Franklin Sr. Regional HS (Pa.) 

Signing bonus: $2.5 million 

Pick value: $1.07 million

Round 4: RHP Cooper Harris (No. 76), Flower Mound HS (Texas)

Signing bonus: $1.5 million

Pick value: $740,500 

Round 5: 3B Daniel Cuvet (No. 120), University of Miami

Signing bonus: $497,500
Pick value: $542,200

The Nationals also signed eight non-drafted free agents, all of whom are pitchers: 

RHPs Cooper Carlgren (Lamar University), Ciaran Caughey (Kent State University), Kaleb Kantola (Lipscomb University), Trevor Moore (Stanford University), Bennett Roemer (North Greenville University), Miles Smith (Kansas State University)

LHPs Anthony Neubeck (Indiana University), Tyler Papenbrock (University of Louisiana)

• Today: Kids plush keychain giveaway (ages 12 and under); Virginia Tech Day (special ticket required); Story Time at Nationals Park; Signature Sunday; Kids Run the Bases (ages 4-12)
  
  
• Monday: Branch Appreciation Day -- U.S. Marine Corps Day; Marine Helicopter Squadron 1 pregame flyover
  
  
• Tuesday: Intern Night (special ticket required); Canada-U.S. Friendship Day (special ticket required); $5 Tuesdays
  
  
• Wednesday: Camp Day (special ticket required)

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