MLB mock draft 2026: Updated projection with White Sox choosing between 3 elite players

Next week, the 2026 MLB All-Star Game gets underway at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.

But before this generation’s stars take the field, the next generation will take the stage in the City of Brotherly Love.

The 2026 MLB Draft gets underway on Saturday, and over 600 prospects will hear their names called during the 20 rounds that unfold, beginning with the Chicago White Sox at No. 1 overall. To get you ready, we have a mock draft to help set the stage.

For more on how the first round works, we have you covered here with this piece from Thursday. And a note on methodology: This is a “what I think will happen” mock draft, and not a “what I would do” mock draft. Mostly because I would draft Georgia catcher Daniel Jackson with every pick in that scenario. But there is still some “what I would do” sprinkled in …

Here are the picks, with some thoughts after.

Pick	Team	Player	Position	School
1	Chicago White Sox	Roch Cholowsky	SS	UCLA
2	Tampa Bay Rays	Grady Emerson	SS	Fort Worth Christian HS (TX)
3	Minnesota Twins	Vahn Lackey	C	Georgia Tech
4	San Francisco Giants	Drew Burress	OF	Georgia Tech
5	Pittsburgh Pirates	Eric Booth Jr.	OF	Oak Grove HS (MS)
6	Kansas City Royals	Jackson Flora	RHP	UC Santa Barbara
7	Baltimore Orioles	Justin Lebron	SS	Alabama
8	Athletics	Ryder Helfrick	C	Arkansas
9	Atlanta Braves	Jacob Lombard	SS	Gulliver Prep HS (FL)
10	Colorado Rockies	Tyler Bell	SS	Kentucky
11	Washington Nationals	Ace Reese	3B	Mississippi State
12	Los Angeles Angels	Christopher Hacopian	2B	Texas A&M
13	St. Louis Cardinals	Derek Curiel	OF	LSU
14	Miami Marlins	Gio Rojas	LHP	Stoneman Douglas HS (FL)
15	Arizona Diamondbacks	Trevor Condon	OF	Etowah HS (GA)
16	Texas Rangers	Mason Edwards	LHP	USC
17	Houston Astros	Daniel Jackson	C	Georgia
18	Cincinnati Reds	AJ Gracia	OF	Virginia
19	Cleveland Guardians	Jared Grindlinger	OF/LHP	Huntington Beach HS (CA)
20	Boston Red Sox	Cameron Flukey	RHP	Coastal Carolina
21	San Diego Padres	Zion Rose	OF	Louisville
22	Detroit Tigers	Hunter Dietz	LHP	Arkansas
23	Chicago Cubs	Liam Peterson	RHP	Florida
24	Seattle Mariners	Tegan Kuhns	RHP	Tennessee
25	Milwaukee Brewers	Sawyer Strosnider	OF	TCU
26	Atlanta Braves	Carson Bolemon	LHP	Southside Christian HS (SC)
27	New York Mets	Cole Carlon	LHP	Arizona State
28	Houston Astros	Brody Bumila	LHP	Bishop Feehan HS (MA)
29	San Francisco Giants	Cameron Borthwick	RHP	South Walton HS (FL)
30	Kansas City Royals	Aiden Ruiz	SS	The Stony Brook School (NY)
31	Arizona Diamondbacks	Logan Schmidt	LHP	Ganesha HS (CA)
32	St. Louis Cardinals	Bo Lowrance	3B	Christ Church Episcopal HS (SC)
33	Tampa Bay Rays	Aiden Robbins	OF	Texas
34	Pittsburgh Pirates	Cade Townsend	RHP	Mississippi
35	New York Yankees	Logan Reddemann	RHP	UCLA
36	Philadelphia Phillies	Taj Marchand	SS	James Island HS (SC)
37	Colorado Rockies	Jack Radel	RHP	Notre Dame

If you want to get a little deeper into this class, read on.

Let’s dive into the top ten selections a bit more.

1. Chicago White Sox: Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA

It is by no means a done deal, but UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky remains the consensus top player in the class. And with the White Sox trying to sign him out of high school, the pairing between player and team fits. But there is a lot to like about Texas high school shortstop Grady Emerson, as well as Georgia Tech’s Vahn Lackey, who stand out as the top three players in the class. Chicago likely goes with Cholowsky, who might have the highest floor of the three, but Emerson might have the highest ceiling.

2. Tampa Bay Rays: Grady Emerson, SS, Fort Worth Christian HS (TX)

If Cholowsky indeed comes off the board first, Tampa Bay runs to the podium for Emerson. The high school shortstop has a silky smooth swing from the left side of the plate, is coming off another monster season where he slashed .532/.648/1.013, and was just the second high school player in the past 48 years to be named a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award, joining Bobby Witt Jr. on that short list.

3. Minnesota Twins: Vahn Lackey, C, Georgia Tech

The Minnesota Twins sit in a decent spot, as they would be happy to take Vahn Lackey, who slashed .397/.519/.722 as part of Georgia Tech’s monster offense this season.

4. San Francisco Giants: Drew Burress, OF, Georgia Tech

This might be the first departure from consensus, as a bit of “what I would do” works its way into this mock draft. But in addition to Lackey, outfielder Drew Burress was a huge part of the Georgia Tech offense this past season. He slashed .358/.473/.675, while belting 16 home runs to break Jason Varitek’s school record of 57 career home runs, as Burress hit 60 during his time in college. The San Francisco Giants have been linked to several bats in this class, but Burress’ power stands out.

5. Pittsburgh Pirates: Eric Booth Jr., OF, Oak Grove HS (MS)

Mississippi outfielder Eric Booth Jr. is something of a consensus pick for the Pirates, and Pittsburgh dipped into the Mississippi prep waters recently with some success with Konnor Griffin. Eric Booth Jr. is considered the top prep outfielder in the 2026 MLB Draft class, hit .467 as a junior in 2025, and followed that with a .481/.699/.922 slash line this past year:

6. Kansas City Royals: Jackson Flora, RHP, UC Santa Barbara

It’s time for the first pitcher to come off the board, and it is UC Santa Barbara right-hander Jackson Flora. Flora set a new school record with 133 strikeouts this season, as he finished with a 12-0 record, an ERA of 1.06, and a WHIP of just 0.853. Flora features high-level velocity — his fastball rests in the upper 90s and hits triple digits regularly — but he can mix in two different sliders, as well as two different changeups.

Here’s a look at that fastball:

And now let’s mix in some of that breaking stuff:

If Flora is off the board, high school arm Gio Rojas could be a pick for Kansas City here.

7. Baltimore Orioles: Justin Lebron, SS, Alabama

Here is another selection where the college influence creeps into my mind. Consensus is mixed on Alabama shortstop Justin Lebron, who could come off the board anywhere from No. 8 to the late teens.

So I concede I might be higher on him than consensus, but the tools are there and the shortstop was critical to Alabama’s run to Omaha this season. According to multiple reports the Orioles are looking at college bats with this pick, and Lebron makes a great deal of sense.

8. Athletics: Ryder Helfrick, C, Arkansas

As noted by other outlets, the Athletics are looking at college bats, and Ryder Helfrick sliding to this spot would offer a nice combination of positional value and power at the plate. Helfrick slashed .305/.420/.616 for the Razorbacks in 2025 along with 15 home runs, and followed that with a .283/.417/.562 slash line in 2026 along with 18 big flies.

Plus, there is a track record of success with the wood bat, as he slashed .261/.323/.837 for Brewster on the Cape during the summer of 2024, along with 11 home runs.

9. Atlanta Braves: Jacob Lombard, SS, Gulliver Prep HS (FL)

This might be a bit low for Jacob Lombard, who is coming off boards earlier than this in other industry mock drafts. But with the board falling like this, the Braves would be happy to see Lombard available. The Florida infielder carries some “swing-and-miss” risk, particularly against upper-level velocity, but he offers an intriguing mix of power at the plate and speed on the bases.

10. Colorado Rockies: Tyler Bell, SS, Kentucky

The Colorado Rockies are another team linked to college bats in the 2026 MLB Draft, and Kentucky infielder Tyler Bell certainly fits the bill. Bell slashed an impressive .343/.510/.608 for the Wildcats this past season, with nine home runs.

The switch-hitter also has power from both sides of the plate. Here is a home run against West Virginia in the College World Series Regionals:

And here is a blast from the right side of the plate against Tennessee earlier this season:

That will work at Coors Field someday.

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