16 hours ago, DirtySox said:

2 hours ago, southsider2k5 said:

It's not Jerry I worry about here, it's the corpse of Tony.

If Jerry doesn’t have sway in this area, then Tony doesn’t matter all that much.

Just now, Chicago White Sox said:

If Jerry doesn’t have sway in this area, then Tony doesn’t matter all that much.

I have zero belief that if Tony tells Chris who to draft, that Chris will tell him no. Maybe it is oversimplifying to say it isn't Jerry, but the front offices previously have been too scared to tell Tony no, to the point of his being forced back in as manager, and I do not believe that this has changed. Why? Because he is STILL hanging around being an influence. A guy like that isn't involved if he say doesn't matter.

BA mock today. Nothing worth calling out on it really. Still Roch. Will share the top 10.

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/2026-mlb-mock-draft-4-0-first-round-picks-for-every-team-with-a-month-to-go/

1. White Sox — Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA

Bonus Pool: $17,592,100

Slot Value: $11,350,600

Cholowsky finished his career as a .329/.448/.624 hitter with 52 home runs and 41 doubles. In the last three college seasons, he’s one of just 30 players to hit at least 45 home runs. His 11.7% strikeout rate over that same time is the best mark of any hitter on that list. It’s that hit/power combination while boasting a slam-dunk shortstop profile that separates Cholowsky from most college prospects, and it’s why he remains the favorite to be the first player off the board—even if both Emerson and Lackey have compelling cases of their own.

2. Rays — Grady Emerson, SS, Fort Worth Christian HS, North Richland Hills, Texas

Bonus Pool: $19,009,300

Slot Value: $10,507,000

If the White Sox take someone other than Cholowsky first overall, he would make sense as the favorite here. In the scenario where he’s gone, I think the Rays could lean towards Emerson’s elite lefthanded hitting chops and shortstop profile over Vahn Lackey. I also know there are teams who still believe Cholowsky and Emerson have a bit of separation above Lackey, though that doesn’t matter if the Rays view it differently.

3. Twins — Vahn Lackey, C, Georgia Tech

Bonus Pool: $16,929,600

Slot Value: $9,740,100

Lackey had a tremendous finish to the season. He ended the year with a .397/.519/.772 slash line, 20 home runs and more walks than strikeouts. The Twins should be in a great position to simply take whichever top-three player in the class falls to them. There have been, and will likely continue to be, underslot rumors mentioned with all of the top teams.

No one believes any of the top three teams want to hand out a deal near slot value. Each of the first three picks come with slot values well over the current signing bonus record of $9.25 million. But given the perceived talent gap that Cholowsky, Emerson and Lackey have on the rest of the class, it still feels more likely that these three players make up the first three picks in some order.

4. Giants — Jacob Lombard, SS, Gulliver Prep HS, Miami

Bonus Pool: $17,350,600

Slot Value: $8,988,400

One interesting scenario floated to me about the Giants was about the possibility of them trying to overpay whichever player made it to No. 3 right in front of them. I don’t think it’s likely they can slide the top player in the class three spots if Cholowsky is simply the favorite for all three teams picking in front of them—but what if Lackey is on the board at No. 3 and the Giants are happy to put out a big deal? The Twins are one of the two teams who have never spent over their bonus pool. Then again, just three years ago, they picked fifth in a draft with five clear top players, and signed Walker Jenkins to an overslot deal.

I’ve continued to hear Lombard’s name associated with the Giants more than Jackson Flora or Eric Booth Jr., so he remains the pick.

5. Pirates — Jackson Flora, RHP, UC Santa Barbara

Bonus Pool: $19,130,700

Slot Value: $8,336,500

This feels like the most likely spot to see the first pitcher come off the board. But given how the Pirates have drafted in recent years, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them interested in either of the top high school hitters who could be available—Eric Booth Jr. and Jacob Lombard. Pittsburgh could also be a possible landing spot for Alabama shortstop Justin Lebron, who has had a few big games in the regionals and super regionals and would fit in with their high-risk, high-reward track record in recent years.

6. Royals — Gio Rojas, LHP, Stoneman Douglas HS, Parkland, Fla.

Bonus Pool: $15,954,000

Slot Value: $7,746,100

I get the feeling Kansas City would prefer Jacob Lombard to Eric Booth Jr. if they had their pick of the two. Whether they would take the top high school pitcher in Rojas over Booth with both on the board is something I’m less confident about. There’s no doubt Kansas City has had a lot of boots on the ground to scout Rojas all spring, though. Florida righthander Liam Peterson has some decent buzz, and Kansas City might be one of the teams intrigued by his pure stuff, but I still think that might be too high for him. He’s more likely to be drafted in between their first and second picks.

7. Orioles — Eric Booth Jr., OF, Oak Grove HS, Hattiesburg, Miss.

Bonus Pool: $13,114,000

Slot Value: $7,327,200

If the board plays out this way, I’m guessing Baltimore is picking between Eric Booth Jr. and Drew Burress. It does seem hard to envision a scenario in which both Jacob Lombard and Booth get much further than this pick. If neither of those high school hitters make it here, I’m hearing a ton of college bats, including Tyler Bell, AJ Gracia, Chris Hacopian and Ryder Helfrick. Both Justin Lebron and Derek Curiel sound like more realistic options than I might have thought a few weeks ago, too.

8. Athletics — Drew Burress, OF, Georgia Tech

Bonus Pool: $13,840,300

Slot Value: $6,982,600

Once the top six players are off the board, there’s a group of college hitters getting a lot of chatter with the next few picks. Burress might be the frontrunner of that group as a center field defender with three excellent seasons and real tools. His profile has fewer flaws than most of the other college hitters that could be in consideration here, which includes Tyler Bell, Justin Lebron, AJ Gracia, Chris Hacopian and Ryder Helfrick. If Flora isn’t the pick at No. 5, I could see a path to him getting to the A’s at No. 8, and he would make plenty of sense if he was available.

9. Braves — Tyler Bell, SS, Kentucky

Bonus Pool: $15,870,800

Slot Value: $6,675,300

All of the college hitters mentioned with the A’s could make sense for the Braves. Bell seems to be increasingly viewed as a slam-dunk option in the first half of the first round. He’s been connected to most of the teams in the 8-16 range and could have the edge on many of the other college hitters in this tier because he can stick on the dirt. Having a tremendous spring season doesn’t hurt, either.

10. Rockies — Derek Curiel, OF, LSU

Bonus Pool: $15,557,600

Slot Value: $6,393,100

If the Royals don’t take Gio Rojas, the Rockies feel like another strong potential spot for the first high school pitcher in the class. If the board unfolds like how we are projecting it here, I would be torn between Curiel and Helfrick as the top college hitting options for the Rockies.

While a college hitter does seem most likely for Colorado, it’s interesting how often they’ve been linked to high school pitchers like Rojas, Logan Schmidt, Brody Bumila and Carson Bolemon. Perhaps that’s a function of having multiple comp picks in the 30s.