White Sox Narrow Top MLB Draft Pick to Three Prospects

The Chicago White Sox are deciding among three players for the No. 1 pick in the 2026 MLB amateur draft, ESPN reported. The candidates are UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky, Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey and Texas high school shortstop Grady Emerson.

White Sox vice president of amateur scouting Mike Shirley said Wednesday that the team continues to evaluate the three prospects with the draft three days away. "It's still a bit of an open book, but I think we all know who the candidates are here, and we're working extremely hard," Shirley said. "The Cholowsky/Emerson conversation, the Vahn Lackey conversation, these are real.

Shirley noted that Emerson narrowed the gap on Cholowsky during his senior year of high school. 320 with 21 home runs in his junior year at UCLA and turned down a substantial amount of money to remain in college last year, Shirley said. " Shirley said the White Sox are focused on selecting the best player available rather than addressing immediate major-league needs or signing-bonus considerations.

"It's not about what they are today," he said. " The first round is scheduled for Saturday afternoon, the same day the White Sox host the Athletics in a matinee game. The team has recorded three straight 100-loss seasons, including an MLB-record 121 losses in 2024.