Who’s No. 1? White Sox have three finalists for top pick of MLB draft

When the White Sox won the No. 1 overall pick at the MLB draft lottery last December, their choice seemed obvious.

Based on popular opinion at the time, there was a clear and obvious top pick of the 2026 draft — UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky, the defending Big Ten player of the year.

Now with the decision looming on Saturday, White Sox scouting director Mike Shirley admitted Wednesday it's become a three-player race between Cholowsky, Grady Emerson, a high school shortstop from Fort Worth, Texas; and Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey.

Mock drafts have been split mostly between Cholowsky and Emerson at No. 1, while Shirley mentioned the White Sox brought Lackey in for a private workout.

“We all thought Roch was the favorite,” Shirley said. “And Grady played great. He earned his way into the mix. Roch held serve. There was a lot of attention on Roch. He actually handled it really well, and that's one thing I told him in person … when we met him at the combine.”

Here are quick bios of the three potential top picks:

· Cholowsky, 6-2, 202, bats right: The biggest complaint with Cholowsky seems to be he didn't build on a stellar sophomore season at UCLA. His numbers actually dropped a bit, but a 1.088 OPS with 21 home runs and 60 RBI is still a nice season. His elite tool is thought to be defense, but he’s been called one of the most complete college shortstops of this century.

A native of Chandler, Arizona, who went to the same high school as Cody Bellinger, Cholowsky's father, Daniel, played in the minors and now scouts for the Cincinnati Reds.

· Emerson, 6-3, 185, bats left: One line in MLB Pipeline's scouting report says the only negative about Emerson is his skills don't pop quite as much as Bobby Witt Jr., another Dallas-area shortstop drafted No. 2 overall in 2019. Hitting is listed as Emerson's best tool, and he posted a .532 batting average as a senior, while finishing second in last year's high school home run derby at Dodger Stadium.

· Lackey, 6-2, 215, bats right: A late bloomer who didn't get many Division I offers until late in high school, Lackey hit .397 with 20 home runs, 78 RBI and a 1.291 OPS this spring as a junior. He also had 15 stolen bases in each of his last two seasons of college, making him an unusually athletic catcher prospect.

Oddly enough, UCLA and Georgia Tech were ranked 1-2 at the end of the college season, but both teams were upset in the NCAA regionals.

Need doesn't really apply here. The White Sox like taking shortstops, since they can usually end up playing anywhere in the field. There's no reason for the Sox to care about Cholowsky or Lackey reaching the majors faster than Emerson, a high school player. Pittsburgh's Konnor Griffin was drafted out of high school in '24 and is playing in the majors now.

Does Emerson have the higher upside? One common argument is Emerson is better now than Cholowsky was three years ago in high school.

“We're not looking for a savior,” Shirley said. “If you look out on that field right now, we have pieces in place, right?

“(General manager Chris Getz) told us we're taking the best player. It's not about the major-league team. It's not about the money, it's about who is the best player.”

Signing bonus probably won't come into play. It seems unlikely the Sox would try to underslot the top overall pick, which has a value of $11.35 million. Sometimes teams will try to sign someone for less than the slotted bonus, then use the savings to try to land good players later in the draft.

Shirley suggested the Sox have not yet made a final decision. And it does feel like a toss-up between Cholowsky and Emerson right now. With so many young players in the majors, maybe the Sox feel like they can invest in Emerson's upside.

The clock is ticking, though, with the draft set to begin shortly after noon on Saturday. The first four rounds will be held Saturday, with 5-20 on Sunday.

Local spotlight

Three suburban players are ranked among MLB Pipeline's Top 100 prospects. One is Nazareth infielder Landon Thome, son of former White Sox slugger Jim Thome, at No. 34. He's a Florida State commit.

Then there's Glenbrook North shortstop Ethan Bass (Wake Forest), ranked No. 71; and Lyons Township right-handed pitcher Jack Slighton (Cincinnati) is No. 89.

The White Sox have chosen a local high school player early in the draft each of the past four years.