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The White Sox kick off the 2026 MLB draft by making the No. 1 overall selection at noon CT on Saturday, and will choose among three plum prospects: UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky, Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey and shortstop Grady Emerson from Fort Worth Christian (Texas) H.S. We’re digging deeper into all three players in anticipation of the third No. 1 overall pick in White Sox history.

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If the White Sox bet on the upside, they will select Fort Worth Christian (Texas) H.S. prep shortstop Grady Emerson with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 MLB draft.

Long viewed as the top high school player in the class, Emerson gives Chicago one of the highest ceilings in the draft. While UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky entered the spring as the consensus favorite to go first overall, Emerson steadily closed the gap throughout the season with his advanced left-handed bat, smooth actions at shortstop and the type of athletic projection scouts dream about.

Chicago is entering Saturday’s big day connected to several legitimate candidates for the top pick, but ultimately may double down on the player many evaluators believe will emerge as the best talent in the class. Emerson combines an advanced feel for hitting with the defensive ability to remain at shortstop, giving the White Sox another premium athlete to build around.

For an organization prioritizing athleticism, premium defensive positions and players capable of impacting the game on both sides of the ball, Emerson fits the mold. Unlike many prep hitters, he arrives with one of the longest and most impressive high school track records in the country, consistently producing against elite competition on the showcase circuit while continuing to develop under the tutelage of his high school coach, former major-leaguer Rusty Greer. The longtime Texas Ranger helped shape one of the nation’s most polished prep players, giving Emerson daily instruction from someone who had already succeeded at the highest level. Emerson transferred to Texas Christian specifically to work with Greer.

Over the past four years, Emerson also represented Team USA on the international stage, culminating in a selection to the 2025 All-World Team. Competing against many of the top amateur players in the world only strengthened Emerson’s reputation as one of the most polished prep prospects in the 2026 draft.

And as the draft approaches, momentum behind Emerson continues to build. The prep standout spent much of the year challenging Cholowsky for the distinction of the top prospect in the draft, with many clubs believing his youth and long-term projection gave him the highest ceiling available. MLB’s Jim Callis favors Emerson as the first pick, while draft guru Keith Law reports that the White Sox scouting group is pushing for Emerson as the pick.

The 6´2´´, 180-pound, left-handed hitter capped his senior season by slashing .532/.648/1.013 with seven home runs, 31 stolen bases and 50 RBIs, while leading Fort Worth Christian to a runner-up finish in the Texas state championship. He also earned Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year honors, validating his place among the nation’s elite prep prospects.

What separates Emerson is the combination of present ability and future projection. His left-handed swing is among the cleanest in the draft, producing consistent hard contact to all fields while showing the strike-zone discipline and barrel control typically associated with much older hitters. Scouts believe additional strength could unlock even more power, giving him a chance to become a middle-of-the-order bat without sacrificing the hit tool that makes him so appealing.

Defensively, Emerson has all the tools to remain at shortstop. His smooth footwork, soft hands, strong arm and advanced instincts give scouts confidence that he can stay on the left side of the infield. While he isn’t expected to be a prolific base stealer as a professional, his athleticism and feel for the game allow him to play faster than his raw speed suggests.

Emerson would join an emerging young core that already includes Colson Montgomery, Kyle Teel, Braden Montgomery, Noah Schultz and Grant Taylor, giving Chicago another premium talent with the potential to anchor the organization for years to come. Colson has long been rumored to be taking his size over to third base at some point, so there’s no excessive duplication going on by picking Emerson.

Because he’s entering professional baseball straight out of high school, Emerson’s development timeline will likely be longer than that of an advanced college player. Still, his advanced approach at the plate and polished defensive game have some evaluators believing he could move more quickly than the typical prep prospect. He would likely still make his pro debut this summer in Kannapolis, but his stop there could be extremely brief.

Emerson may require more patience than some of the other candidates for the top pick, but few players in the 2026 draft offer the same combination of athleticism, polish, and long-term upside.

The St. Louis Cardinals will try to take the final game of their 5-game set with the Milwaukee Brewers Thursday night at Busch Stadium as Andre Pallante gets the ball for the Cardinals. RHP Logan Henderson will make the start for the St. Louis Cardinals. First pitch is scheduled for 6:45pm at Busch Stadium and the TV broadcast will be available on Cardinals.tv.

The White Sox kick off the 2026 MLB draft by making the No. 1 overall selection at noon CT on Saturday, and will choose among three plum prospects: UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky, Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey and shortstop Grady Emerson from Fort Worth Christian (Texas) H.S. We’re digging deeper into all three players in anticipation of the third No. 1 overall pick in White Sox history.

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The White Sox could add a potential cornerstone player by selecting UCLA shortstop Daniel Roch Cholowsky with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 MLB draft. In doing so, Cholowsky would become just the third college shortstop ever selected first overall, joining Bill Almon (1974) and Dansby Swanson (2015). Although neither player went on to a Hall of Fame career, that would be rare company, and another indication of just how highly Cholowsky is regarded.

Or perhaps … was regarded? As the draft comes closer, some of the conversation for No. 1 overall has shifted to the other prime prospects, Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey and prep shortstop Grady Emerson. That could be a case of overall draft fatigue and prospect evaluators rationalizing their professions. Still, Cholowsky has been at or near No. 1 overall in mock drafts for essentially a solid year now. The right-handed hitter entered the spring with a reputation for elite bat-to-ball skills and polished defense, then strengthened his case by continuing to produce throughout the 2026 season.

If Cholowsky is Chicago’s pick, that would indicate the White Sox went with the prospect many evaluators considered the most complete position player in the class. Cholowsky offers an advanced offensive approach, dependable defense at shortstop, and the kind of all-around game that gives him both a high floor and an equally enticing ceiling.

For an organization that has emphasized athleticism — especially up the middle — at premium defensive positions and high baseball IQ throughout its rebuild, picking Cholowsky makes perfect sense. Rather than drafting for immediate need, the White Sox would be staying true to their philosophy of taking the best player available. They were also high on Cholowsky coming out of high school, scouting him extensively ahead of the 2023 draft, meaning that this is a relationship that has been years in the making.

For Cholowsky, baseball has always been a way of life: His father, Dan, was a first-round pick by the Cardinals in 1991 and spent eight seasons in professional baseball before becoming a major league scout. That familial background helped shape one of the most polished players in the draft, giving Cholowsky an advanced feel for the game long before he arrived on a college campus.

The 6´2´´, 202-pound Arizona native arrived at UCLA as one of the nation’s top prep recruits and quickly became the centerpiece of the Bruins’ lineup. Over the next three seasons, he developed from a polished contact hitter into one of college baseball’s most complete players, combining consistent production with elite defense at shortstop. As a junior, the 21-year-old slashed .320/.452/.636 with 21 home runs and finished as a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award. He closed out his UCLA career with a .329/.447/.624 slash line, along with 52 home runs over 178 career games, and was one of the NCAA’s premier defensive shortstops, finishing his final season with 15.3 defensive runs saved.

What stands out most about Cholowsky isn’t one loud tool — it’s the completeness of the package. MLB Pipeline gives him at least a 60 grade in four of the five major scouting categories, including his hit, power, arm, and field tools, resulting in a 65 overall. He controls the strike zone, rarely gives away an at-bat, and consistently squares up the baseball. As he’s added strength throughout his amateur career, the power has come naturally without sacrificing the disciplined approach that made Cholowsky successful in the first place. If that profile sounds familiar, it should. It’s become the blueprint for the type of hitter GM Chris Getz and his front office have prioritized throughout the rebuild.

Defensively, Cholowsky has every opportunity to remain at shortstop as a professional. His smooth actions, reliable hands, instincts and above-average arm have long drawn praise from scouts. While he won’t wow anyone with top-of-the-scale speed, his feel for the position allows him to make difficult plays look routine.

Cholowsky would join an emerging young core that already includes Colson Montgomery, Kyle Teel, Braden Montgomery, Noah Schultz and Grant Taylor, giving Chicago yet another premium talent to build around. Given Colson’s seemingly inevitable move to third base at some point, selecting Cholowsky won’t create a clog on the roster or in the lineup.

Cholowsky should begin his professional career shortly after signing, with a token Winston-Salem assignment likely coming later this summer. (Cholowsky is considered “MLB-ready,” and would not be out of place as one of the two White Sox September call-ups.) Because of his advanced offensive approach, defensive polish, and experience against some high-level collegiate competition, almost assuredly, he will move through the White Sox system more quickly than the typical first-round pick.

Cholowsky would arrive in Chicago with one of the most polished résumés in the 2026 draft class. If his college success can carry over to professional baseball, the White Sox may have found another foundational piece for its next championship-caliber club.

Anaheim Angels @ Texas Rangers

Thursday, July 09, 2026, 7:05 PM CDT (105.3 The Fan / Rangers Sports Network)

The Shed

LHP Reid Detmers vs. RHP Nathan Eovaldi

Go Rangers!

In the days leading up to his first draft as Astros general manager, Dana Brown was back in his element. 

“This is probably the fun part of the job because it’s something that I’m so used to,” Brown said at the time. “We’re going through all these names and we’re having conversations, and I’m bringing a lot of my philosophies and my thought processes to it, and so it’s actually exciting and it’s refreshing to be able to talk about some upcoming young players.”

The draft was a major reason Jim Crane hired Brown five months prior, and the first-year GM, who was and remains far more involved in the draft process than others in his position, set expectations a mile high.

Brown said he wanted to “nail” the 2023 draft, and to him, nailing the draft meant drafting four Major Leaguers.

“The average is usually two, I like to double that average, and we were able to do it in Atlanta, and I expect to do it here,” Brown said.

While three years is a bit early to fully judge an MLB draft class, Brown’s first with the Astros appears likely to fall short of his lofty goals.

First round pick Brice Matthews, the 28^th overall pick of the draft, debuted last season, and has been on the Astros’ active roster the entirety of the 2026 season. Only 14 of the 27 players picked ahead of Matthews have appeared in a major league game, and his career 0.7 bWAR is higher than five of those picked ahead of him.

The Tigers selected Kevin McGonigle nine picks later, but he signed for almost $400k more than Matthews. The Astros had a limited draft pool meant they probably would not have been able to sign McGonigle if they drafted him.

The Astros third-round pick, Jake Bloss, made his Major League debut less than a year after he was drafted, second fastest in the class behind Paul Skenes. Hours before he was set to make his fourth start for the Astros, Brown traded him to the Blue Jays as the centerpiece of the Yusei Kikuchi deal.  

Matthews and Bloss are currently the only members of Brown’s first draft class as Astros GM to make the major leagues, though that could change soon.

Sixth round pick Ethan Pecko was just named Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Month, and Brown identified him as an option to start this weekend in Arlington. Before the season, FanGraphs rated the 23-year-old right-hander as the Astros’ fourth best prospect, who projects as a number 4 or 5 starter.

It’s only a matter of time before Pecko will be the class’s third big leaguer, but a fourth seems unlikely, at least out of the day one or day two picks.

Second round pick Alonzo Tredwell is Brown’s best hope of the early picks, but he hasn’t pitched this season due to a shoulder injury. Tredwell has only thrown 157 minor league innings since being drafted. A back injury limited him to nine games during his final season at UCLA, and he underwent Tommy John Surgery in high school.

Fourth round pick Cam Fisher was released last season, while fifth round pick Chase Jaworsky is batting .177 in High-A with the Marlins after being traded as part of the package to land Jesus Sanchez. 

Injuries have limited seventh round pick Joey Dixon to 7.1 innings in the Astros system, while eighth rounder Ryan Johnson and 10^th rounder Austin Deming have been released.

11^th round pick Nehomar Ochoa and 12^th round pick Anthony Huezo, high school picks who signed for $300,000 and $397,000 respectively, are having good seasons in A-ball and have yet to celebrate their 21^st birthday, while 14^th rounder Jackson Nezuh has a 3.97 ERA in Double-A. 

Nezuh is rated as one of the Astros top 15 prospects by multiple outside publications, while Huezo is inside the top 25.

There’s still a chance Brown’s first draft class as Astros GM produces four major leaguers. That would qualify as a successful draft, especially given the limited draft capital he had to work with. The bigger question, though, is whether anyone from the class develops into an impact major leaguer. Three years in, that outcome appears far less likely.

The San Diego Padres seemed to have turned a corner. The final four games before the All-Star break will tell a bit more, but the club has its first two-game win streak since June 26. The offense also tagged the Arizona Diamondbacks’ pitching staff for a season-high 10 runs last night. San Diego is, at the very least, heading in the right direction.

The lineup looked fantastic in Wednesday night’s win over the Dbacks. Luis Campusano hit his first home run since returning from the IL and Miguel Andujar had three (yes, you read that right) doubles. San Diego will need to keep its foot on the gas to achieve its first series win of July against Arizona tonight.

Taking the mound

Merrill Kelly (AZ) v. Griffin Canning (SD)

Similar to Zac Gallen, Kelly has been an ace in the past for Arizona and has looked nothing like it this year. The right-hander has been saddled with a 5.71 ERA this year. He’s been even worse lately, pitching to a 6.28 ERA in his last 38 2/3 innings.

Prediction of the day: Fernando Tatis Jr. is going to hit a home run. Across 31 at-bats against Kelly, Tatis has four home runs and a 1.186 career OPS. Unless Kelly has his stuff working tonight, it seems plenty possible that No. 6 comes tonight for Tatis.

Canning has actually pitched considerably better in his last two outings than he has this whole season. After turning in his worst start of the year (4 ER, 0.2 IP), Canning has since given up just three runs across 8 1/3 innings. It’s not miraculous, but it’s a start.

Hopefully, Canning can keep that up against the Dbacks tonight. Most of Arizona’s lineup has faced the righty sparingly and none have seem him this season. That should work in Canning’s favor. That said, if he stumbles, the bullpen is well-rested.

Batter up!

While Andujar and Campusano were the headliners on Wednesday evening, Tatis and Jackson Merrill went 4-for-9 from the top two spots in the order. In a night where Manny Machado was getting a rest day, it felt good to watch the lineup produce without the slugger.

1. Fernando Tatis Jr., RF
2. Jackson Merrill, CF
3. Xander Bogaerts, SS
4. Manny Machado, 3B
5. Gavin Sheets, LF
6. Ty France, 1B
7. Luis Campusano, C
8. Miguel Andujar, DH
9. Jake Cronenworth, 2B

The Friars pounded out a convincing 10 runs against Arizona last night. It’s only the third time this season the club has scored runs in the double digits. If the lineup continues to produce consistently that way, the pitching staff would get some stress taken off of them.

Relief corps

With Michael King pitching six innings of one-run ball, and the offense giving the pitching staff a sizable lead to work with, the bullpen had plenty of room to work with. Ron Marinaccio and Kyle Hart covered the final three innings, giving up a combined three runs in those frames. Thankfully, it didn’t affect the outcome of the game.

Jhony Brito has been working out of the bullpen for San Diego since getting called up earlier this week. He’ll be available alongside Yuki Matsui, Mason Miller, Adrian Morejon, Wander Peralta and Bradgley Rodriguez. All figure to be high-leverage options for San Diego to turn to in a close game.

The Mariners are on the brink of returning to .500 for the eleventh time this season as they aim to avoid a sweep by the Marlins in the second-to-last series before the All-Star break. They are coming off being shut out Wednesday in an uninspiring performance.

They’ll call upon perhaps their most reliable starter of the 2026 campaign so far, Bryce Miller, to attempt to limit a Miami offense that ranks sixth in baseball in on-base percentage (.331).

Miller will be countered by righty Janson Junk, a Federal Way native. Activated off the injured list Thursday (right shin bone inflammation), Junk is making his first start since May 25 and can likely be expected to work within a pitch count. We’ll see if the Mariners can get to the bullpen early.

Lineups

Look familiar? The Mariners will roll out the same batting order for the third consecutive day.

Game Information

First Pitch: 3:40 p.m. PDT

TV:Mariners.TV, with Aaron Goldsmith, Ryan Rowland-Smith and sideline reporter Brad Adam

Radio: 710 AM Seattle Sports, with Rick Rizzs and Angie Mentink