Welcome to draft week. A three-horse race has emerged for the No. 1 overall pick between Vahn Lackey, Grady Emerson and Roch Cholowsky. What the Chicago White Sox do with that selection is anyone’s guess, with ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel suggesting GM Chris Getz should flip a coin. Lackey is a fast riser who offers a proven college bat at a premium position, Emerson has the most upside and the reigning Gatorade High School Player of the Year, and Cholowsky could be the best of the bunch and has received comparisons to Troy Tulowitzki. Chicago really can’t go wrong with any of the three.
Beyond the No. 1 pick, though, this draft class offers more questions than answers. How much will executives value the College World Series, and the abundance of collegiate bats in particular? Will Gio Rojas and prep arms like him fall in the first round? How does Brody Bumila’s injury impact the Padres and Red Sox plans? All of those questions and more were answered in our most recent MLB mock draft.
What to expect from the 2026 MLB Draft, from the experts
- The top six picks or so seem pretty set in stone, but the order could be all over the place. We have reached the point of the pre-draft festivities where teams are trying to make bonus pool plans and that means trying to figure out who they can get to take less between similarly valued players.
- As is customary this time of year, we are starting to hear that teams are looking to retreat to less risky waters in the first round, with college bats being seen as a safe haven. Some beneficiaries of this shift may include Virginia OF AJ Gracia, Louisville OF Zion Rose and Mississippi State 3B Ace Reese.
- No one seems to have a great handle on Alabama shortstop Justin Lebron. The tools are top-10 worthy, but there is a world where he falls to the bottom of the first round. Where he goes is one of the draft’s biggest wild cards.
- Assuming the pre-draft chatter is accurate, where the draft can start going off-script is probably with the Braves at No. 9. The top six will go in some order, and the Orioles and A’s a likely to grab whichever bats don’t fly off the board in the first few picks. That leaves Atlanta with a lot of paths they could take. If you are betting as to where the first weird under-slot deal could get cut, here it is.
- While Brody Bumila’s injury is a bummer, it feels like he should still go in the back half of the first round or in the comp pick round immediately afterwards. The arm talent is just too big to ignore, although he might have to settle for an under-slot bonus to go that high now.
- Wherever Roch Cholowsky gets picked, he could rocket through the Minor Leagues. The defense is ready for the big leagues right now and the offensive skill set is very polished. College righty Jackson Flora is another guy who could move quickly.
1. Chicago White Sox: Vahn Lackey, C, Georgia Tech
- Height: 6-2
- Weight: 215 pounds
- Age: 20
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft is a coin flip. Your guess is as good as mine as to who the White Sox will take between Lackey, Emerson and Cholowsky. In this case, I’m betting on Lackey, who led the Yellowjackets to the college baseball postseason and batted .397/.519/.772 as a junior. Lackey is no slouch defensively, either, and is unlikely to last longer than the first three picks. If the White Sox take him, it’ll shake up the board, but he’ll also be ready to contribute to a young, contending team as early as next season.
-Mark Powell, FanSided.com MLB director
2. Tampa Bay Rays: Grady Emerson, SS, Fort Worth Christian (TX)
- Height: 6-3
- Weight: 185 pounds
- Age: 18
Draft and develop is the name of the game for the Rays, and Emerson is the top prep bat in this class. He’s just 18 years of age, but Emerson’s swing is more polished than most players his age, and he offers 60-grade tools defensively. There’s a reason Emerson has surpassed Cholowsky as the top draft prospect in MLB Pipeline’s rankings. For a prep bat, it’s surprisingly tough to find any flaws in Emerson’s game. Not only is he a safe pick for the Rays, but one who comes with a ton of upside.
-MP
3. Minnesota Twins: Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA
- Height: 6-2
- Weight: 202 pounds
- Age: 21
There’s a chance the White Sox and Rays are overthinking things when it comes to Cholowsky, who could have four plus tools when all is said and done. Cholowsky is the most gifted player in this class, and should he fall to the Twins, they’d be wise to take him. MLB Pipeline projects Cholowsky to have a 70-grade power tool in the minor leagues, and he could make his way through Minnesota’s system quickly. One way or another, the Twins should have the easiest choice to make in this entire draft.
-MP
4. San Francisco Giants: Jacob Lombard, SS, Gulliver Prep (FL)
- Height: 6-3
- Weight: 195 pounds
- Age: 18
Buster Posey has used just about every tactic at his disposal to force Cholowsky to fall to No. 4. Unfortunately for the Giants, that is incredibly unlikely, as all three teams in the top-3 have plenty of bonus pool money to work with. Lombard, the brother of Yankees top prospect George Lombard Jr., is a great consolation prize, however. Lombard is universally-renowned as the second-best middle infield prospect in this class. He offers impressive athleticism at shortstop with plenty of room to grow.
-MP
5. Pittsburgh Pirates: Jackson Flora, RHP, UC Santa Barbara
- Height: 6-5
- Weight: 205 pounds
- Age: 20
You can never have too much starting pitching. The Pirates rotation features Paul Skenes and Braxton Ashcraft, among many others, and they have Seth Hernandez waiting down on the farm. Why not add Jackson Flora to the mix? Flora is the best starting pitcher in this class and he has proven college experience at UC Santa Barbara, which made the college baseball postseason this season. Flora offers plus velocity and multiple breaking pitches to match.
-MP
6. Kansas City Royals: Eric Booth Jr., OF, Oak Grove (MS)
- Height: 6-0
- Weight: 207 pounds
- Age: 17
The Royals could benefit from mistakes at the top of the draft board. If Flora or Lombard fall to Kansas City, expect them to act accordingly. However, we project the Royals to select the next-best player on most big boards in Eric Booth Jr., While the Oak Grove product is still a few years away from making the major leagues, he’s also one of the top prep bats in this class and can wreck havoc on the basepaths. Booth Jr. could develop into a real weapon in the years to come.
-MP
7. Baltimore Orioles: Tyler Bell, SS, Kentucky
- Height: 6-1
- Weight: 190 pounds
- Age: 21
There is no faster riser in this draft than Tyler Bell of Kentucky. Yes, Bell has some injury concerns, but expect some team in the top-10 to take a chance on him anyway. The Orioles could lose Gunnar Henderson to free agency in the years to come. Bell won’t be a 1-for-1 replacement (Jackson Holliday could be, though), but he provides the Orioles with a college bat who can contribute in the majors sooner rather than later. Baltimore would love to nab Lombard at this spot, but that feels a bit unrealistic. Justin Lebron is another option, though that could open another can of worms for Mike Elias. Bell is the safe choice.
-MP
8. Athletics: LHP Gio Rojas, Stoneman Douglas (FL)
- Height: 6-4
- Weight: 195 pounds
- Age: 19
Rojas is the best prep arm in this draft class, and he comes shockingly polished for a pitcher of that variety. Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School has produced seven big leaguers in recent memory, including Roman Anthony. Rojas has positioned himself well, and is arguably the top left-handed starter available. His fastball can reach 98 MPH, and he has a nasty wipeout slider to match. The A’s need starting pitching, and even though Rojas won’t be throwing in Vegas anytime soon, he could be a future frontline starter.
-MP
9. Atlanta Braves: Drew Burress, OF, Georgia Tech
- Height: 5-9
- Weight: 185 pounds
- Age: 21
The Braves value a high contact rate in their draftees, and Burress fits the bill in that regard. While Burress is undersized, he makes up for it with a big bat. Expect the Georgia Tech product to be fast tracked through the Braves system if selected here. The No. 7 overall draft prospect per MLB Pipeline is also the top college outfielder available. His 60-grade power tool and arm could make Burress a mainstay in the Atlanta outfield for years to come.
-MP
10. Colorado Rockies: Derek Curiel, OF, LSU
- Height: 6-2
- Weight: 192 pounds
- Age: 21
If Tyler Bell or Drew Burress makes it this far, expect the Rockies to pounce. In recent weeks, we projected the Rockies as the first team to really consider Justin Lebron, but that would not be the smartest choice. Rather, Derek Curiel is atop the second tier of collegiate hitters. The LSU product didn’t make the college baseball postseason through no fault of his own. He’s an overlooked college bat who has a 60-grade hit tool from the left side. While not the flashiest pick, the Rockies need more players like Curiel to build from the ground up.
-MP
11. Washington Nationals: Ryder Helfrick, C, Arkansas
- Height: 6-1
- Weight: 210
- Age: 21
As hard as I try, I cannot mock Helfrick into the top-10, as much as he deserves to be there. While Lackey is the top overall catcher in this class, Helfrick is right behind him, especially defensively. Helfrick called pitches for this Arkansas team in 2026, including for fellow projected first-round pick Hunter Dietz. Helfrick has some work to do offensively. His hit tool is just 45, while his power tool is a 55. However, his bat speed at Arkansas suggests he can be a lot better than that with the right tweaks to his mechanics.
-MP
12. Los Angeles Angels: Chris Hacopian, 2B, Texas A&M
- Height: 6-1
- Weight: 210 pounds
- Age: 21
The Angels are entering a new frontier with Perry Minasian ousted from the front office, which makes this draft fascinating. But Hacopian feels like a bankable piece for this offense and infield moving forward. While he’s not going to wow with power, this is a guy who had a .502 and .405 OBP in his final two college seasons. The hit tool is legit, as is his defensive versatility, though his glove isn’t his strongest suit at this point. But for an organization that needs to simply start stacking sure pieces to build with, Hacopian’s bat and approach at the plate are a terrific starting point for the Halos.
-Cody Williams, FanSided.com director
13. St. Louis Cardinals: Liam Peterson, RHP, Florida
- Height: 6-5
- Weight: 225 pounds
- Age: 20
Taking Peterson with the 13th pick might be seen as a reach for some, but the Cardinals would reasonably be banking on the potential for the Florida right-hander. Peterson has some of the best pure stuff in the draft class, with a fastball we’ve already seen getting quite close to triple digits and two breaking offerings in a slider and curveball that entice scouts. Not only does that likely mean that St. Louis could mine more from him just in terms of the stuff, but they have the chance to mold him into a better pitcher in the more nuanced sense of the position. For an organization arriving earlier than expected after a facelift, adding an arm with Peterson’s upside makes complete sense.
-CW
