Here's a fun one from the combine. Loud.

Genson Veras, OF, TNXL Academy, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

BA Draft Rank: 498

When you watch a lot of baseball games, your brain starts to form pattern associations, and you’ll sometimes have “blink moments.” On Wednesday, I had one of those in what was a visceral response to Veras’ bat speed. It instantly stood out as an elite outlier tool. Veras, a three-star BA high school prospect, has arguably the best swing at this year’s MLB draft combine, and he put on a show in batting practice. The baseball explodes off his barrel in a special way.

Mechanically, the swing works well. Veras has well-timed hip rotation, explosive hands and an ideal bat path for both staying on plane and producing loft. He extends his hands and meets the ball out front, which creates big backspin and tremendous carry. It is a rare combination of strength, bat speed and the ability to create consistent loft.

Veras has no-doubt 80 raw power. In his first two BP rounds, he hit multiple balls 20-25 rows deep to left field and another to straightaway center. I thought I had seen it all, but I was wrong. In his third round, he hit a titanic blast landing in the second deck of Chase Field.

The crazy thing is, I am not sure Veras is physically maxed out yet. He’s listed at 6-foot-6, 225 pounds and has a lean-to-medium build. It’s also worth noting he is the son of former nine-year MLB veteran Jose Veras, who also measured at 6-foot-6 but got up to 240 pounds.

Defensively, Veras took center field reps and showed an easy plus arm with a smooth throwing motion. He moves very well for his size, but weight gain could push him to a corner eventually.

There is a looseness and ease of operations to all aspects of Veras’ game. He makes everything look easy. Veras is a veritable toolshed with big-time potential.

2 hours ago, DirtySox said:

Awesome article at BA today where they make the case for each of Cholowksy, Emerson, and Lackey as the number 1 overall pick. I will post only the portions on what each player could be like as a big leaguer and how it could go wrong. There is plenty more analysis within that is worth the read if you are a subscriber.

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/mlb-draft-2026-making-cases-for-roch-cholowsky-grady-emerson-vahn-lackey-to-go-no-1-overall/

The podcast that goes with it is really good too. Something that's being lost about Emerson is the necessity to be correct on the hit tool. If it's not 60-65 hit, he's not a star.

3 minutes ago, Y2Jimmy0 said:

The podcast that goes with it is really good too. Something that's being lost about Emerson is the necessity to be correct on the hit tool. If it's not 60-65 hit, he's not a star.

Thanks. Gonna go listen to it on my run.

Im at the point where im seriously considering just taking the cheapest of the three if there's decent savings with one of them.

14 minutes ago, DirtySox said:

Thanks. Gonna go listen to it on my run.

Im at the point where im seriously considering just taking the cheapest of the three if there's decent savings with one of them.

It would be really interesting to see what the cost savings offered by each is, and who we can fit into a slide for an overslot signing because of it. Is it worth it to draft the "lessor" guy if we get an extra high ceiling high school signing out of it? Are they that close where the question might come down to the whole draft package versus one v the other one?

2 hours ago, DirtySox said:

Here's a fun one from the combine. Loud.

Not surpassingly - dude caught my eye during the combine for sure.

1 hour ago, Y2Jimmy0 said:

The podcast that goes with it is really good too. Something that's being lost about Emerson is the necessity to be correct on the hit tool. If it's not 60-65 hit, he's not a star.

Co-signing that this is an excellent listen. As @Y2Jimmy0 sort of alluded to, missing on Emerson's hit tool would be pretty catastrophic. The rest of the tools are solid across the board, but Konnor Griffin/Bobby Witt he is not. So you need to be pretty convinced that he's going to hit.

One point that was hammered home on Roch and Lackey is that even if you come up light on both the hit and power tools by a grade or so, you are still going to have a valuable big leaguer for years, simply due to how stellar the defense is for both of them. The defensive value of both of those players will carry so much value even if the bats aren't what was projected.

I think I'm still at the point where I would seriously factor in how much savings you can get and what you can do with that money with further picks.

3 hours ago, southsider2k5 said:

It would be really interesting to see what the cost savings offered by each is, and who we can fit into a slide for an overslot signing because of it. Is it worth it to draft the "lessor" guy if we get an extra high ceiling high school signing out of it? Are they that close where the question might come down to the whole draft package versus one v the other one?

2 hours ago, DirtySox said:

Co-signing that this is an excellent listen. As @Y2Jimmy0 sort of alluded to, missing on Emerson's hit tool would be pretty catastrophic. The rest of the tools are solid across the board, but Konnor Griffin/Bobby Witt he is not. So you need to be pretty convinced that he's going to hit.

One point that was hammered home on Roch and Lackey is that even if you come up light on both the hit and power tools by a grade or so, you are still going to have a valuable big leaguer for years, simply due to how stellar the defense is for both of them. The defensive value of both of those players will carry so much value even if the bats aren't what was projected.

I think I'm still at the point where I would seriously factor in how much savings you can get and what you can do with that money with further picks.

I still don't think either player gets $10 million but let's say Cholowsky is $10 million, Emerson would be $9.75 million and Lackey is still probably breaking the record too. I just don't see much cost savings on anyone so I'd take Cholowsky.

14 minutes ago, Y2Jimmy0 said:

I still don't think either player gets $10 million but let's say Cholowsky is $10 million, Emerson would be $9.75 million and Lackey is still probably breaking the record too. I just don't see much cost savings on anyone so I'd take Cholowsky.

Say the difference between Lackey and Cholo allows you to add a guy like the Contreras kid in the 3rd (or pick whoever your high ceiling guy is), versus another college guy. Is it worth it?

There’s risk everywhere. I think you have to factor in a significant right-handed hitter penalty in mlb right now. Lefties are over performing righties by a good margin right now thanks to platoon advantage and abs. I think Lackey and Roch have a greater risk of busting offensively because of it. Look at Dylan Crews and to some extent Wyatt Langford. When in doubt, draft the lefty.

When we pulled the number 1 pick I was aboard the Roch train… then Lackey became my guy… and now I’m back on the Roch train. 😆

1 hour ago, southsider2k5 said:

Say the difference between Lackey and Cholo allows you to add a guy like the Contreras kid in the 3rd (or pick whoever your high ceiling guy is), versus another college guy. Is it worth it?

I'm operating right now as if Vahn Lackey isn't under consideration. They might save a little with Emerson but not enough for me to not take the college guy.

1 hour ago, Timmy U said:

There’s risk everywhere. I think you have to factor in a significant right-handed hitter penalty in mlb right now. Lefties are over performing righties by a good margin right now thanks to platoon advantage and abs. I think Lackey and Roch have a greater risk of busting offensively because of it. Look at Dylan Crews and to some extent Wyatt Langford. When in doubt, draft the lefty.

Crews yes, but Langford is a really good player.

13 minutes ago, ChiSoxFanMike said:

Crews yes, but Langford is a really good player.

Eh. He’s got 7 HR this year. He has not been what they were hoping imho

9 hours ago, Y2Jimmy0 said:

The podcast that goes with it is really good too. Something that's being lost about Emerson is the necessity to be correct on the hit tool. If it's not 60-65 hit, he's not a star.

They also mentioned Lackey not doing much against good velocity, which I wasn’t aware of.

I’m glad I’m not in charge of the draft room. Really don’t see how they come off Roch. Theres too much risk for whoever has to wear potentially passing him up.

5 hours ago, Lukakke Appling said:

They also mentioned Lackey not doing much against good velocity, which I wasn’t aware of.

I’m officially team Roch.

14 hours ago, Timmy U said:

There’s risk everywhere. I think you have to factor in a significant right-handed hitter penalty in mlb right now. Lefties are over performing righties by a good margin right now thanks to platoon advantage and abs. I think Lackey and Roch have a greater risk of busting offensively because of it. Look at Dylan Crews and to some extent Wyatt Langford. When in doubt, draft the lefty.

Wyatt Langford has a 1.7 WAR in 40 games this year with a 128 wRC+. Not entirely sure what about that means stay away. That's nearly a 7 war pace as a 24 year old.

10 hours ago, Lukakke Appling said:

They also mentioned Lackey not doing much against good velocity, which I wasn’t aware of.

@Look at Ray Ray Run - Admit you didn’t know this and now are Team Roch!

3 minutes ago, Chicago White Sox said:

@Look at Ray Ray Run - Admit you didn’t know this and now are Team Roch!

Are these the same scouts that told us Mune struggles with top velocity?

Absolutely not team Roch. Roch struggled with velocity and fastballs inside. You adapt to what you see most often as a hitter, so once you see velocity you'll adjust.

I'm surprised to see so many back on the Roch train. I don't get it at all. Going to be a huge mistake the Org makes.

3 minutes ago, Look at Ray Ray Run said:

Are these the same scouts that told us Mune struggles with top velocity?

Absolutely not team Roch. Roch struggled with velocity and fastballs inside. You adapt to what you see most often as a hitter, so once you see velocity you'll adjust.

I'm surprised to see so many back on the Roch train. I don't get it at all. Going to be a huge mistake the Org makes.

I’ve always been on the Roch train. No matter how hard you’ve tried to slander his physical talent, the kid has four plus tools. We’re talking about a no doubt high-end defensive SS with both power and elite bat-to-ball skills. You simply don’t see players like that very often in the college ranks anymore. Look at the 2024 draft for example. The top college infielders were Wetherholt & Bazzana, two 2B who are on pace for 6 & 4 win seasons respectively as rookies. Roch is a better prospect than both of them, simply because of his ability to be a legit major league SS. I will continue to cite prospect fatigue and a disappointing junior season (but still really good!) as the reason some are undervaluing him.

And to be clear, I’m not looking to discredit Lackey. He’s a hell of a prospect no doubt, but I don’t love the idea of drafting a catcher at the 1.01 and his lack of broader production scares me just a bit. I also find it interesting that people constantly rip Roch for playing against weak Big 10 competition but no one talks about the advantage that Lackey got from playing half his games at Georgia Tech’s home park. I just saw this note on BA but 15 of his 20 HR’s came at home and his OPS was nearly 400 points better than it was on the road.

Lackey’s junior season vaulted him into the top tier of this year’s draft prospects. He hit .397/.519/.772 with 20 home runs, 15 stolen bases and more walks (50) than strikeouts (38). In traditional statistics, Lackey outperformed Cholowsky this year. He hit more home runs, easily topped the UCLA shortstop in all slash line categories and even was a much more prolific and useful basestealer.

Lackey does benefit, as most Georgia Tech hitters do, from a favorable home ballpark for hitting. On the road, Lackey was a .312/.429/.600 hitter in 2026. He was a .434/.556/.853 hitter at home, and that’s where he hit 15 of his 20 home runs 

Lackey’s underlying analytical data is actually quite similar to Cholowsky’s. There are areas where Cholowsky is better (max exit velocities) and areas where Lackey has a slight edge. But when it comes to contact rates, swing decisions and how hard they hit the ball, there’s little to differentiate the two. Cholowsky has the longer track record of this level of production, while Lackey took a significant step forward in 2026. 

Also, speaking of Bazzana, the Guardians’ draft reflects the art of possible with the 1.01 pick and a strategy I’d like to see. They went $1.6M under-slot with the 1.01 and were able to land three HS arms with bonuses in the range of $1.8M to $2.6M. They did have a comp pick, but remove Jacob Cozart, a college catcher they took in the 2nd round and our picks line up very well with them. Beyond the aforementioned players, they went with all college pitching. To me, that’s 100% the playbook but try to get one prep positional guy in lieu of one HS arm.

1 hour ago, Chicago White Sox said:

I’ve always been on the Roch train. No matter how hard you’ve tried to slander his physical talent, the kid has four plus tools. We’re talking about a no doubt high-end defensive SS with both power and elite bat-to-ball skills. You simply don’t see players like that very often in the college ranks anymore. Look at the 2024 draft for example. The top college infielders were Wetherholt & Bazzana, two 2B who are on pace for 6 & 4 win seasons respectively as rookies. Roch is a better prospect than both of them, simply because of his ability to be a legit major league SS. I will continue to cite prospect fatigue and a disappointing junior season (but still really good!) as the reason some are undervaluing him.

And to be clear, I’m not looking to discredit Lackey. He’s a hell of a prospect no doubt, but I don’t love the idea of drafting a catcher at the 1.01 and his lack of broader production scares me just a bit. I also find it interesting that people constantly rip Roch for playing against weak Big 10 competition but no one talks about the advantage that Lackey got from playing half his games at Georgia Tech’s home park. I just saw this note on BA but 15 of his 20 HR’s came at home and his OPS was nearly 400 points better than it was on the road.

1 hour ago, Chicago White Sox said:

I’ve always been on the Roch train. No matter how hard you’ve tried to slander his physical talent, the kid has four plus tools. We’re talking about a no doubt high-end defensive SS with both power and elite bat-to-ball skills. You simply don’t see players like that very often in the college ranks anymore. Look at the 2024 draft for example. The top college infielders were Wetherholt & Bazzana, two 2B who are on pace for 6 & 4 win seasons respectively as rookies. Roch is a better prospect than both of them, simply because of his ability to be a legit major league SS. I will continue to cite prospect fatigue and a disappointing junior season (but still really good!) as the reason some are undervaluing him.

And to be clear, I’m not looking to discredit Lackey. He’s a hell of a prospect no doubt, but I don’t love the idea of drafting a catcher at the 1.01 and his lack of broader production scares me just a bit. I also find it interesting that people constantly rip Roch for playing against weak Big 10 competition but no one talks about the advantage that Lackey got from playing half his games at Georgia Tech’s home park. I just saw this note on BA but 15 of his 20 HR’s came at home and his OPS was nearly 400 points better than it was on the road.

Pal, roch has no where near elite bat to ball skills and he absolutely doesnt have 4+ tools.

Roch Is a 40 run, 40 hit, 50 power, 65 field, 60 arm for me. The guy just hit 320 in the big 10. It's just not very impressive for a 1-1.

Edited 50 minutes ago50 min by Look at Ray Ray Run

2 hours ago, Chicago White Sox said:

I’ve always been on the Roch train. No matter how hard you’ve tried to slander his physical talent, the kid has four plus tools. We’re talking about a no doubt high-end defensive SS with both power and elite bat-to-ball skills. You simply don’t see players like that very often in the college ranks anymore. Look at the 2024 draft for example. The top college infielders were Wetherholt & Bazzana, two 2B who are on pace for 6 & 4 win seasons respectively as rookies. Roch is a better prospect than both of them, simply because of his ability to be a legit major league SS. I will continue to cite prospect fatigue and a disappointing junior season (but still really good!) as the reason some are undervaluing him.

And to be clear, I’m not looking to discredit Lackey. He’s a hell of a prospect no doubt, but I don’t love the idea of drafting a catcher at the 1.01 and his lack of broader production scares me just a bit. I also find it interesting that people constantly rip Roch for playing against weak Big 10 competition but no one talks about the advantage that Lackey got from playing half his games at Georgia Tech’s home park. I just saw this note on BA but 15 of his 20 HR’s came at home and his OPS was nearly 400 points better than it was on the road.

2 hours ago, Chicago White Sox said:

Also, speaking of Bazzana, the Guardians’ draft reflects the art of possible with the 1.01 pick and a strategy I’d like to see. They went $1.6M under-slot with the 1.01 and were able to land three HS arms with bonuses in the range of $1.8M to $2.6M. They did have a comp pick, but remove Jacob Cozart, a college catcher they took in the 2nd round and our picks line up very well with them. Beyond the aforementioned players, they went with all college pitching. To me, that’s 100% the playbook but try to get one prep positional guy in lieu of one HS arm.

Here's our draft profile from FutureSox: https://www.futuresox.net/2026/06/27/2026-mlb-draft-profile-roch-cholowsky/

34 minutes ago, Look at Ray Ray Run said:

Pal, roch has no where near elite bat to ball skills and he absolutely doesnt have 4+ tools.

Roch Is a 40 run, 40 hit, 50 power, 65 field, 60 arm for me. The guy just hit 320 in the big 10. It's just not very impressive for a 1-1.

40 hit is insane. This isn't even worth debating with you at this point.

9 minutes ago, Y2Jimmy0 said:

Here's our draft profile from FutureSox: https://www.futuresox.net/2026/06/27/2026-mlb-draft-profile-roch-cholowsky/

40 hit is insane. This isn't even worth debating with you at this point.

What is crazy about thinking roch is a 240-250 big league hitter?

Where is Veras listed? First round?