From Kiley's final draft rankings. Sharing the top 3 guys that are in the mix for the Sox. He also goes into what could go wrong with these players. I also found it interesting that these 3 and Flora (49) are the only players that would crack his top 100 MLB prospects list.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/49297819/2026-mlb-draft-rankings-top-250-prospects-roch-cholowsky-grady-emerson-vahn-lackey

55 FV tier

1. Roch Cholowsky (age: 21.3), SS, UCLA

Tools: Hit: 55, Power: 55, Run: 45, Field: 55, Arm: 60

Where he ranks in an MLB top-100 prospects list: 19

If it doesn't work out, what's happening? His bat speed and foot speed are one notch worse than expected, and he's a solid starter but not a standout.

To be clear, I flipped these three players a number of times down the stretch and even polled scouts and got every possible order. Think of these reports as a choose-your-own-adventure to learn which of these players you prefer because the sharpest minds in baseball cannot agree on this.

Cholowsky was prospect for the top two rounds in the 2023 draft out of an Arizona high school as a sure-handed, hit-first prospect with questionable overall impact. He hit .329 with 52 home runs and a 1.072 OPS over three years in Westwood and now could become the top pick in the draft.

The hesitation by some is the lack of explosive upside and elite physical traits some expect at the No. 1 pick. Cholowsky has plus raw power but it plays more like a 55, at a 20-25 homer upside with a solid average, and he is a reliable defender. A very talented player, sure, and likely quick to the big leagues, but will he post a 5-WAR season? He could if it all clicks, but there isn't Bobby Witt Jr.-type upside here.

2. Grady Emerson (18.4), SS, Fort Worth Christian HS (TX), Texas commit

Tools: Hit: 60, Power: 55, Run: 50, Field: 50, Arm: 60

Where he ranks in an MLB top-100 prospects list: 24

If it doesn't work out, what's happening? The in-game power didn't show up and he's a better fit at third base than shortstop.

Emerson has been tagged as the top high school player in this class for at least two, if not three, years. The track record of that sort of prospect is already quite good, but when it's a left-handed-hitting shortstop with standout tools and performance, that adds up to a top-of-the-draft talent.

You can see the tool grades above: Emerson might be above average to plus at everything on a baseball field. I almost put him first, and a number of scouts have him there on their board. For teams that don't, they sometimes have him third or even fourth in the class because they aren't positive he's a long-term shortstop and they think his in-game power will play closer to average.

The bullish scouts point out that Emerson does things so easily that it makes his tools look a bit short compared with other top-of-the-draft talents. Similar to Cholowsky, the only complaint here is a lack of elite tools like the faces of the sport have, but there are plenty of perennial All-Stars who don't light up Statcast leaderboards.

3. Vahn Lackey (21.0), C, Georgia Tech

Tools: Hit: 55, Power: 55, Run: 55, Field: 55, Arm: 60

Where he ranks in an MLB top-100 prospects list: 25

If it doesn't work out, what's happening? The wear and tear of catching chips away at durability and raw tools to limit his impact.

I had to reach a bit for the "if it doesn't workout section," because Lackey is exceptionally well-rounded. He's above average at everything on the field as a catcher, posting absurd numbers this spring: a nearly 1.300 OPS with 20 homers and more walks than strikeouts after entering the season outside of the top 15-20 prospects in the draft.

The only nitpicks are that his swing plane is a little flatter than the best power hitters and he hits too many pulled ground balls. That and the right-handed hitting catcher demographic, while playing a valuable position, is one of the riskier positions because of the physical demands and often nonlinear development due to those rigors.

You can make a compelling case that Lackey is the top prospect in the draft because of positional value and performance while you can easily argue he's third because of the catcher demographic and shorter track record of success. The margins are so tight you can justify any conclusion. I do not envy the White Sox making this choice.

Edited 2 hours ago2 hr by DirtySox

Wonderful FutureSox podcast with Joe Doyle on the draft. Great listen.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/2026-mlb-draft-preview-with-joe-doyle/id850054474?i=1000775914484

Seems like Joe is a little lighter on Thome then others. Doesn't sound like he would use 41 on him. They talk Dylan Bowen who might have a high number. 3 million was mentioned. Also fully agree with @Y2Jimmy0 on not using high picks outside of the first round on college position players. No more McClain/Lodise/Saucke please.

From Joe Doyle's draft intel piece today. Posting some but not all of it.

Rumors coming out of the Southside continue to top the headlines. Over the last few weeks, reiterated over the last 48 hours, I've continued to hear that a majority contingent of the White Sox war room seems to prefer high school shortstop Grady Emerson at the top of the Draft. That's not to say he'll be the pick. It remains to be seen what ownership's opinion on the selection is. And what is Chris Getz's timeline? How does the team feel about Colson Montgomery as their long-term fixture at shortstop? What do signing bonus demands look like for Emerson and UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky? They're represented by the same agency (The-Team), so I'd reckon their representation is working hard to ensure the largest signing bonus combination the two can net them at picks 1 and 2. What does being the No. 1 overall pick mean to either player? Would one take a dramatic haircut with the understanding the other would get a bigger deal at pick 2? Holding the No. 1 pick in a draft has many levers and even more variables to consider. Especially when the two or three options at the top are so closely graded from a talent perspective. The White Sox are going to leave the 2026 Draft with a boat load of talent -- precisely which player will be heading that ship is far from settled.

Behind the White Sox, I've also continued to hear Cholowsky is not the Rays' top target with the second pick. Even if Emerson is their priority, it's no certainty Cholowsky or even Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey would be the next name called on draft night.

Nazareth infielder Landon Thome has been a very popular name in war rooms, and not just in Chicago. He's got a lot of teams calling from the back of the first round to the meat of the second. He's unlikely to last long in this draft, and he falling to the White Sox at 41 shouldn't be a foregone conclusion. If he is gone at pick 41, fellow Midwest outfielder Dominic Santarelli is a popular name in Chicago's draft room.

This is the second time Santarelli has been mentioned by Doyle and the White Sox which I find surprising. The power is stupid good, but corner prep bats really aren't the White Sox type.

Edited 1 hour ago1 hr by DirtySox

Forgot this tidbit. God I want it.

Pittsburgh has been floating pick No. 34 in trade talks leading up to the Draft, aiming to land a bullpen piece that can help them now. It's an organization seemingly pushing their chips in for 2026 and 2027. If they're willing to trade pick 34 for a win-now move, selecting a college bat at pick 5 should follow suit.

19 minutes ago, DirtySox said:

Forgot this tidbit. God I want it.

Seranthony Dominguez, get ready to learn Pittsburgh buddy.

24 minutes ago, DirtySox said:

Wonderful FutureSox podcast with Joe Doyle on the draft. Great listen.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/2026-mlb-draft-preview-with-joe-doyle/id850054474?i=1000775914484

Seems like Joe is a little lighter on Thome then others. Doesn't sound like he would use 41 on him. They talk Dylan Bowen who might have a high number. 3 million was mentioned. Also fully agree with @Y2Jimmy0 on not using high picks outside of the first round on college position players. No more McClain/Lodise/Saucke please.

Thanks man. Joe is always great. We have another episode coming tomorrow with guests for Rays, Twins, Giants and Pirates.

19 minutes ago, DirtySox said:

From Joe Doyle's draft intel piece today. Posting some but not all of it.

This is the second time Santarelli has been mentioned by Doyle and the White Sox which I find surprising. The power is stupid good, but corner prep bats really aren't the White Sox type.

I'm sure they love Santarelli. He's one of their Area Codes guys and he's from the midwest. I haven't targeted him though because he's a corner type and Getz hasn't targeted that.

15 minutes ago, DirtySox said:

Forgot this tidbit. God I want it.

I'd love that pick haha.

1 hour ago, DirtySox said:

From Kiley's final draft rankings. Sharing the top 3 guys that are in the mix for the Sox. He also goes into what could go wrong with these players. I also found it interesting that these 3 and Flora (49) are the only players that would crack his top 100 MLB prospects list.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/49297819/2026-mlb-draft-rankings-top-250-prospects-roch-cholowsky-grady-emerson-vahn-lackey

Lackey and Emerson having the same Power grade is interesting. I also think a 55 glove for Lackey is light. Baseball is moving towards an automated zone so arm, pop time and mobility behind the plate become the metrics that matter most as controlling the run game shoots up the priority list and his pop time is 1.85 seconds. I think the arm is also light. I had read somewhere earlier this year he'd been clocked at 95mph out of the pop.

Edited 1 hour ago1 hr by Look at Ray Ray Run

23 minutes ago, Look at Ray Ray Run said:

Lackey and Emerson having the same Power grade is a... choice. I also think a 55 glove for Lackey is light. Baseball is moving towards an automated zone so arm, pop time and mobility behind the plate become the metrics that matter most as controlling the run game shoots up the priority list and his pop time is 1.85 seconds. I think the arm is also light. I had read somewhere earlier this year he'd been clocked at 95mph out of the pop.

I do agree with this. Lackey will be an elite defender.