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 every 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.
