3 hours ago, caulfield12 said:

Public posturing to see if they can wrangle savings out of their top pick by creating the "fake out" impression they're seriously considering Emerson instead?

Any 4D chess with the Sox just scares the hell out of me thinking they will only outsmart themselves and end up with two decent players while yet another team ends up with a superstar.

Saw it happen once already with Kolek and Aiken.

Ofc in the end Houston eventually won that one in the following draft.

3 hours ago, southsider2k5 said:

My thought has always been that the tiebreaker to the Sox would be how fast they could move through the system, and then bonus asking price. I have to imagine that the Sox see Roch on a Gordon Beckham kind of timeline, and with the desire to try to rescue the fanbase, that would come into play. If people really think Emerson could be under two seasons away, I wonder if that factors in the other way if his ask is appreciably different from Roch's.

Here's another wrinkle. Casey Wasserman represents Cholowsky and Emerson so he likely breeaks the bonus record at both spots regardless. I don't see a massive savings for Emerson with the Rays slot being worth $10.5 million.

1 hour ago, Y2Jimmy0 said:

Here's another wrinkle. Casey Wasserman represents Cholowsky and Emerson so he likely breeaks the bonus record at both spots regardless. I don't see a massive savings for Emerson with the Rays slot being worth $10.5 million.

Resignation from Talent Agency

Amid the fallout from the release of the Epstein files, Wasserman resigned from his namesake talent agency, which is now being rebranded as “The Team” and is in the process of being sold. This decision followed the departure of several high-profile clients, including Chappell Roan, Abby Wambach, and Orville Peck, who severed ties due to ethical concerns. Wasserman has apologized for his past correspondence with Maxwell and emphasized that he never had a personal or business relationship with Epstein.

Whoever breaks from him first goes to the Sox....joking, but pretty sure some of his mlb clients have already jumped ship.

If they pick Emerson 1-1, what makes anyone think he will move through the system quickly? They are reluctant to play high school draftees in year 1 after being drafted, ala Carlson.

White Sox 5 Round Mock for FutureSox: https://www.futuresox.net/2026/04/18/chicago-white-sox-2026-5-round-mock-d/

22 minutes ago, Y2Jimmy0 said:

White Sox 5 Round Mock for FutureSox: https://www.futuresox.net/2026/04/18/chicago-white-sox-2026-5-round-mock-d/

Love that outcome. Would hate to root for anything out of Notre Dame though. 🙃

11 hours ago, DirtySox said:

Love that outcome. Would hate to root for anything out of Notre Dame though. 🙃

Still upset by Samardzija?

. Roch Cholowsky matched him by reaching four times as well, going 1-for-2 with two hit-by-pitches and a walk

Vs. Minnesota Sat, 6-4 comeback win

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7065158/2026/02/23/mlb-draft-scouting-grady-emerson/

Our friend Joe Doyle has his Mock 2.0 out. Will share the top 5.

https://overslotbaseball.com/mock-drafts/mlb-draft-mock-draft-2/

Less than three months until the 2026 Draft is underway and the Chicago White Sox are officially on the clock.

Roch Cholowsky remains the No. 1 pick in this mock draft, however there are several players near the top of the board being scouted heavily by the White Sox. Probably just due diligence, but Cholowsky going at the very top doesn't seem set in stone. There are folks in the industry who view Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey as not only the best player in the class, but one of the top three college catching prospects ever available in any draft -- his reviews in some circles are that glowing.

Grady Emerson remains the top high schooler off the board in this scenario, reinforced by a heater he's gone on in the second half of his season. Jacob Lombard continues to get effusive reports from those that have been in to see him. Lombard (and most Florida high school prospects) will see his season end in about a week.

This class feels particularly devoid of infield talent both on the high school and college side. It's made for a difficult evaluation cycle for some teams that are facing the reality they'll likely have to zig from their conventional approach in the draft toward something more nuanced in 2026.

It's an interesting class that lacks the perceived tiers of years past. There's certainly a top three in this class, but behind those names, it's presently more of a crapshoot.

SS Roch Cholowsky to Chicago White Sox

Cholowsky remains the overwhelming favorite to go No. 1 overall among folks in the industry. For what it's worth, the White Sox have been scouting Grady Emerson, Justin Lebron and Jacob Lombard very, very thoroughly over the course of the last handful of weeks. It's almost certainly the team doing its due diligence, as well as providing negotiation leverage options. Beyond the first overall pick, Chicago seems mighty interested in several high school prospects with their second pick. They've been stuffed in at Coleman Borthwick, Landon Thome and Blake Bryant games at different points in the spring, however most teams are casting a wide net this time of year. Still, the team's emphasis on seeing the high school talent in droves can help suggest the direction they may hope to go in July.

2.) Rays - Vahn Lackey

3.) Twins - Grady Emerson

4.) Giants - Jacob Lombard

5.) Pirates - Eric Booth Jr.

Edited Monday at 04:11 PM4 days by DirtySox

Tacking on the BA scouting reports for the new names that were mentioned with the White Sox.

31. Coleman Borthwick

RHP

Ht: 6'6" | Wt: 255 | B-T: R-R

School: South Walton HS, Santa Rosa Beach, Fla. Committed/Drafted: Auburn. Age At Draft: 18.2

Borthwick is an extra-large righthander with a 6-foot-6, 255-pound frame and a lively, power fastball that’s been up to 98 mph. He is more than just a physically-mature pitcher for his age overpowering hitters, however, as he has a sound delivery with efficient arm action while being a surprisingly athletic for a player his size, allowing him to repeat his delivery consistently to be a prolific strike-thrower from his low three-quarters slot. Borthwick can carve through lineups with his ability to command a high-octane fastball for his age, but he can also snap off a sharp, tight slider in the mid 80s that he shows feel to spin and has plus potential. Borthwick has a mid-80s changeup but hasn’t needed to use it much yet. He’s a two-way player with big power as well—he excelled on both sides of the ball with Team USA’s 18U team in 2025—but his future in pro ball right now looks brightest on the mound. Borthwick is committed to Auburn but has first-round potential.

50. Blake Bryant

RHP

Ht: 6'5" | Wt: 180 | B-T: R-R

School: Citizens Christian Academy, Douglas, Ga. Committed/Drafted: Clemson. Age At Draft: 18.9

Bryant is an extremely tall, skinny pitcher at 6-foot-5, 180 pounds with excellent arm speed that has allowed him to sit in the low 90s and touch 96 mph. There could be even more velocity in the tank for Bryant, since he has the room to pack on another 30-plus pounds, giving him a chance to regularly throw in the upper 90s once he fills out. While Bryant’s best pitch is his fastball, he complements it with an 80-84 mph slider he flashes some feel to spin, a curveball in the upper 70s and a firm changeup in the mid 80s. Bryant is committed to Clemson.

Any concern about Roch's .666 OPS in Cape Cod, which I believe uses the wooden bats?

With how well Thome uses his lower half in the swing, I think there’s a good deal of projectable power in his prospect profile. I do wonder if hitting directors will have Thome make some adjustments with his hands to better align with his back hip for a smoother swing. My one qualm after watching six plate appearances is that Thome too often chases after low pitches -- like, shin-high, which I think also contributes to the grounders. If he just worked the count longer and allowed pitchers to elevate against him, Thome would have a better chance to impact the baseball.

Pirates (pick 34) scouts were in attendance.

I view Bass as a top-100 prospect in this class and currently rank him 77th. That puts him firmly in the third-round territory. The Atlanta Braves had scouts in attendance at this game I watched, and they have picks Nos. 48 (slot value $2,081,900) and 84 ($973,700). Despite the wide range of rankings among MLB draft evaluators, I wouldn’t be surprised if Bass is taken in the second round for around $2 million. With the large draft pool, the White Sox could target Bass with pick 77 and take slot savings from the first overall pick to buy out his commitment to Wake Forest.

The White Sox are doing their due diligence in visiting Grady Emerson. How serious that pursuit is debatable within MLB Draft analyst circles. It would certainly help if Cholowsky performed as well as he did against Hawaii in their next Big Ten series. That weekend will be May 1-3, as UCLA travels to Michigan State at Jeff Ishbia Field.

Yes, that Ishbia. The possible future No. 1 overall pick of the Chicago White Sox will be playing on the baseball diamond dedicated to the father of future Chicago White Sox owner Justin Ishbia. Perhaps the incoming steward will make a trek to Michigan State next weekend to see Cholowsky in-person.

On 4/20/2026 at 12:46 PM, GreenSox said:

Any concern about Roch's .666 OPS in Cape Cod, which I believe uses the wooden bats?

Good question. No answer yet from our experts.