Less than two months until the 2026 Draft is underway and the Chicago White Sox are officially on the clock. It's still far too early to have confidence in mocks drafts. Here, or at any other publication. Teams and their directors like players, yes, but we're just now getting to the point of the season where guys are doubling-back on players. Pre-draft meetings for organizations are still a month away, as is the MLB Draft Combine. One director picking in the teens told me this week they legitimately have 40 players in play for their first pick. Again, teams like players, but nobody really has a clue what's going to happen yet.
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 and he's got at least a fractional chance to go No. 1. 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.
