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Washington Nationals 2026 Player Report: Andrés Chaparro
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- Washington Nationals 2026 Player Report: Andrés Chaparro
(Brad Mills-Imagn Images)
Last week, we took a look at Jorbit Vivas and his contributions to the Nationals in the 2026 season. This week, we're pivoting to Andrés Chaparro, another role player and a guy who had a surprisingly productive season, earning himself a role going forward.
Reflection: How the 2026 campaign went
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This was the third year the 27-year-old Chaparro saw action for the Nats, and it was by far his best.
The corner infielder and designated hitter first broke into the majors in 2024, but didn't find much success. In both that season and in 2025, he accounted for a negative WAR, a batting average under .220 (well under .200 in 2025) and didn't show much promise at the dish.
Then came the breakthrough — a modest one, but meaningful.
This season, Chaparro bat .263 and slugged his way to an .894 OPS, well above league average, across 83 games. He also racked up 13 long balls and 1.2 WAR.
If you break down the season, the upswing was even more dramatic. Chaparro wasn't good before the break, but surged to an average near .300 in the second half after Luis Garcia was traded.
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Overall, Chaparro was the best he'd ever been in virtually every category in 2026, showing a massive improvement from the two prior years with Washington. Now that he's showed that potential, he seems to certainly be a part of the Nationals' plans going forward
2027: The future
As things stand right now, Chaparro is in line to be the Nationals' starting first baseman next season. A year ago, that might have been a bleak outlook, but now it should excite Nats fans.
Chaparro may not be a superstar, but he showed real upside at the plate in the back half of 2026. With Garcia gone, there's a hole at first base and Chaparro is primed to step into it.
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Plus, while not super young, Chaparro certainly isn't old. At 27, he still has room to grow and become more consistent, hopefully making the form he showed at his best last year more of a regular occurrence.
Players like James Wood and CJ Abrams are obviously the key to accelerating through and out of the team's rebuilding state, but potential solid starters like Chaparro are critical to rounding out the roster. All good teams need depth and solid hitting up and down the lineup — in an ideal future, Chaparro can provide that for Washington.
