{"id":654384,"date":"2026-05-07T19:46:02","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T19:46:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/654384\/"},"modified":"2026-05-07T19:46:02","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T19:46:02","slug":"mlb-mock-draft-2026-version-1-0-white-sox-surprise-with-grady-emerson-pick","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/654384\/","title":{"rendered":"MLB Mock Draft 2026, version 1.0: White Sox surprise with Grady Emerson pick"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s never too early for a mock draft \u2014 scratch that, it\u2019s almost always too early for a mock draft, but I can only kick that particular can down the road for so long. The 2026 MLB Draft will begin on July 11, right here in my backyard, but don\u2019t worry, we have plenty of space. Or it\u2019s somewhere in Philadelphia.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s draft class has turned out to be a lot weaker up top than expected. Yes, there is depth, especially in high school pitching, and some of the high school bats who\u2019ll go in the 20-40 range (or get paid like it) are interesting, but overall, the first round is kind of meh. It\u2019s not close to 2023, which looked incredible at the time and has held up, or 2024, which looked fair at the time, definitely not amazing, but has already churned out a deserving Rookie of the Year (Nick Kurtz), the No. 1 prospect this winter (Konnor Griffin), playoff star Trey Yesavage and much more. Seven of the first nine picks from 2024 are in the majors already.<\/p>\n

Below is my educated guess at how the first round might unfold if teams were selecting players today, based on what I\u2019ve heard from league sources about teams\u2019 specific interests, what I know about the way scouting directors and team models value players, and my general sense of how the industry views players (for picks where I don\u2019t have any good information).<\/p>\n

A couple of names who would be on here if fully healthy: UCLA starter Logan Reddemann was getting top-10 attention when he went down with \u201carm fatigue,\u201d with no return date scheduled, and high school catcher Will Brick could sneak into the back of the first round, but he did miss a week or so recently due to a concussion, returning to play last week.<\/p>\n

(Notes: Atlanta was awarded pick No. 26 as part of the Prospect Promotion Incentive program when Drake Baldwin won the National League Rookie of the Year. The Mets\u2019 first pick dropped from 17 to 27 for exceeding the second surcharge threshold of the Competitive Balance Tax. The Astros earned pick No. 28 for Hunter Brown finishing in the top three of the AL Cy Young Award voting as a pre-arbitration eligible player. The Yankees, Dodgers, Phillies and Blue Jays all had their first picks pushed back 10 spots for exceeding the second surcharge threshold of the CBA and won\u2019t make their first picks until the late 30s. This mock draft goes through pick No. 28.)<\/p>\n

Player Type Pitcher Position Player Position Player\/Pitcher<\/p>\n

School Type 4-Year College High School<\/p>\n

Position 3B C LHP OF RHP SS<\/p>\n

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Try changing or resetting your filters to see more.<\/p>\n

Player Profile<\/p>\n

School: Fort Worth Christian (North Richland Hills, Texas), Bats: L, Throws: R<\/p>\n

I keep hearing that the White Sox are leaning towards the two main prep shortstops, Emerson and Jacob Lombard, although I can\u2019t rule out that this is posturing to try to get a better deal with Roch Cholowsky, the putative top prospect in the class. Emerson at No. 1 makes sense if you think he\u2019s the next Kevin McGonigle \u2014 a very advanced hitter from a small high school whose value rests heavily on the hit tool. Emerson\u2019s a better shortstop right now than McGonigle was as a senior, while McGonigle had more power. Lombard, meanwhile, would be a bet on upside; he might have the best overall tools on the high school side, but his hit tool is a huge question mark.<\/p>\n

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Position Player<\/p>\n

High School<\/p>\n

SS<\/p>\n

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Player Profile<\/p>\n

School: UCLA, Bats: R, Throws: R<\/p>\n

Assuming the White Sox go with a high schooler, the Rays would have a choice between Cholowsky and Vahn Lackey, the Georgia Tech catcher, and I assume they\u2019d take the safer option in Cholowsky, who was the consensus 1-1 pick coming into the spring and has performed about as well as he did last year. I don\u2019t think either would be a bad choice, and Rays fans know they could use a franchise prospect at either position.<\/p>\n

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Position Player<\/p>\n

4-Year College<\/p>\n

SS<\/p>\n

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Player Profile<\/p>\n

School: Georgia Tech, Bats: R, Throws: R<\/p>\n

The Twins have drafted in the top five twice in the last decade and went high school both times; they might be Grady Emerson\u2019s soft floor, but I don\u2019t think they\u2019d go for Jacob Lombard or any other prep name if Emerson\u2019s gone. Lackey is the best player available in this scenario with the strong hit tool that the Twins value higher than most clubs.<\/p>\n

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Position Player<\/p>\n

4-Year College<\/p>\n

C<\/p>\n

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Player Profile<\/p>\n

School: UC Santa Barbara, Bats: R, Throws: R<\/p>\n

Flora is the top pitching prospect in the class, college or high school, and the Giants have gone college in the first round seven times in eight years, with Bryce Eldridge as the exception (and a good one). I\u2019d be shocked if Roch Cholowsky or Vahn Lackey got past them, in a scenario where Flora or a surprise name goes ahead of this pick. Just spitballing, but they seem like they could roll the dice on Justin Lebron, who otherwise I don\u2019t think is going up here as his contact rate has dropped in conference play.<\/p>\n

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Player Profile<\/p>\n

School: Oak Grove HS (Hattiesburg, Miss.), Bats: L, Throws: L<\/p>\n

The Pirates\u2019 last three first-round picks: Paul Skenes (2023), Konnor Griffin (2024) and Seth Hernandez (2025); the first two are already in the majors and the third is currently dominating Low A in his pro debut. They did lose scouting director Justin Horowitz to the Nationals, where he\u2019s now an assistant GM, but I expect them to stick with the same approach in the draft, targeting high-upside players like Booth who give the team the chance for superstars they won\u2019t get as free agents. I do think they\u2019d take any of the three college guys who I have going 2-3-4.<\/p>\n

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Position Player<\/p>\n

High School<\/p>\n

OF<\/p>\n

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Player Profile<\/p>\n

School: Gulliver Prep (Pinecrest, Fla.), Bats: R, Throws: R<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve heard the Royals heaviest with Lombard and Eric Booth Jr., with pitching as the fallback option, either a safe, quick-moving college starter, or maybe one of the best high school arms like Carson Bolemon on a discount.<\/p>\n

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Position Player<\/p>\n

High School<\/p>\n

SS<\/p>\n

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Player Profile<\/p>\n

School: Georgia Tech, Bats: R, Throws: R<\/p>\n

I’m only hearing the Orioles connected with bats, naturally, although I assume they\u2019d take Jackson Flora here if he’s still available. There\u2019s being prudent, and then there\u2019s being dogmatic. Beyond Burress, I\u2019ve heard them with Eric Booth Jr. and Derek Curiel.<\/p>\n

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Position Player<\/p>\n

4-Year College<\/p>\n

OF<\/p>\n

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Player Profile<\/p>\n

School: LSU, Bats: L, Throws: L<\/p>\n

Mostly hearing college players for the A’s, including Curiel, Zion Rose and Hunter Dietz, with high schoolers Eric Booth Jr. and Bo Lowrance outside possibilities. I don\u2019t think they\u2019d take a high school arm here.<\/p>\n

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Position Player<\/p>\n

4-Year College<\/p>\n

OF<\/p>\n

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Player Profile<\/p>\n

School: Mississippi, Bats: R, Throws: R<\/p>\n

I’ve heard this one a couple of times, which makes sense as Atlanta is fairly model-heavy and Townsend\u2019s pitches grade out extremely well. If any team jumps to take a prep arm in the top 10, I think it\u2019d be them, maybe Carson Bolemon or Brody Bumila.<\/p>\n

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Player Profile<\/p>\n

School: Virginia, Bats: L, Throws: R<\/p>\n

I think the Rockies will grab a college bat here, maybe a little under slot, and then fish in the high school pitching pond afterwards, including at picks 37 and 38. This pick could be Becker, Drew Burress, Derek Curiel or maybe Ryder Helfrick. I haven\u2019t heard them with Tyler Bell, but he\u2019d be a great fit.<\/p>\n

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Position Player<\/p>\n

4-Year College<\/p>\n

SS<\/p>\n

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Player Profile<\/p>\n

School: Texas A&M, Bats: R, Throws: R<\/p>\n

I know the Nats like Hacopian and Tyler Bell, not sure about Ryder Helfrick, although he fits here. I don\u2019t think they go high school with this pick.<\/p>\n

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Position Player<\/p>\n

4-Year College<\/p>\n

SS<\/p>\n

3B<\/p>\n

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Player Profile<\/p>\n

School: Arkansas, Bats: R, Throws: R<\/p>\n

Helfrick is an educated guess here \u2014 he\u2019s a good enough defender that he could move somewhat quickly, and could probably catch in the majors next year. I\u2019ve also heard them with Hunter Dietz and Cameron Flukey as pitchers they could zip to the majors within a year (or in Flukey\u2019s case, probably this year, given how little he\u2019s pitched this college season because of his rib injury).<\/p>\n

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Position Player<\/p>\n

4-Year College<\/p>\n

C<\/p>\n

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Player Profile<\/p>\n

School: Florida, Bats: R, Throws: R<\/p>\n

I think the bats they like most will all be gone, leaving the Cardinals with the best college arms beyond Jackson Flora to pick from (Liam Peterson, Hunter Dietz, Cade Townsend), and maybe Tyler Bell, although that\u2019s a little of my own take on where Bell should go. Bell\u2019s hitting .374\/.556\/.626, playing with one good shoulder!<\/p>\n

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Player Profile<\/p>\n

School: Arkansas, Bats: R, Throws: L<\/p>\n

Dietz grades out pretty well however you assess him \u2014 models like his pitch shapes, scouts like the arsenal and the aggressive approach, and he\u2019s had success in the SEC in his first actual year of pitching after two years of injuries. I wonder if they\u2019d roll the dice on Justin Lebron as an upside play, even with the obvious risk in the bat.<\/p>\n

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Player Profile<\/p>\n

School: Kentucky, Bats: B, Throws: R<\/p>\n

The Diamondbacks don\u2019t generally let consensus picks get past them, and they\u2019ve had success with that approach. They\u2019ve only taken a pitcher with their first selection once in the last decade, and that was 2020 (Bryce Jarvis). They could be a dark horse on Zion Rose or Sawyer Strosnider, highly regarded bats with some defensive questions.<\/p>\n

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Position Player<\/p>\n

4-Year College<\/p>\n

SS<\/p>\n

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Player Profile<\/p>\n

School: Alabama, Bats: R, Throws: R<\/p>\n

The Rangers are definitely not afraid to take a chance on a famous prospect like Lebron with red or yellow flags on the scouting report if they believe in the upside. I could also see them taking Cameron Flukey if he\u2019s here, figuring he was getting top-10 buzz before the rib injury.<\/p>\n

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Position Player<\/p>\n

4-Year College<\/p>\n

SS<\/p>\n

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Player Profile<\/p>\n

School: Coastal Carolina, Bats: R, Throws: R<\/p>\n

Given how Flukey seemed like a top-three starter in the class coming into the year (along with Jackson Flora and Liam Peterson), he can\u2019t really slide that far for a non-arm injury (he had a stress reaction in his rib), right? I could also see them taking Jared Grindlinger, who just turned 17 last weekend, or Bo Lowrance, going for high-upside high school bats (with Grindlinger also a potential two-way guy).<\/p>\n

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Player Profile<\/p>\n

School: Bishop Feehan HS (Attleboro, Mass.), Bats: L, Throws: L<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know how high Bumila can go, as he\u2019s a high school pitcher who\u2019s already had an internal brace procedure on his pitching elbow, but he has been so good \u2014 hitting 102 mph last weekend at Wellesley (the high school, not the college, they don\u2019t have a baseball team) that he\u2019s probably going to be the first high school arm taken. The Reds went high-risk, high-upside last year with Steele Hall, but haven\u2019t taken a high school pitcher with their first pick since Hunter Greene.<\/p>\n

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Player Profile<\/p>\n

School: Huntington Beach (Calif.) HS, Bats: L, Throws: L<\/p>\n

I mean, I wouldn\u2019t be me if I didn\u2019t assign the Guardians the youngest player who\u2019d be a good fit at their spot. (Rocco Maniscalco is younger than Grindlinger, but he hasn\u2019t hit well at all this spring.) They do like high school pitching, but not with their first pick; they could go that route at pick 29.<\/p>\n

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Position Player\/Pitcher<\/p>\n

High School<\/p>\n

OF<\/p>\n

LHP<\/p>\n

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Player Profile<\/p>\n

School: Christ Church Episcopal (Greenville, SC), Bats: L, Throws: R<\/p>\n

Lowrance is one of the late risers in the class \u2014 he\u2019s been around all spring but national scouts were racing in to see his last few games, and now there\u2019s talk he\u2019ll go in the first round, maybe as high as the back of the top 10. Boston might be a soft floor for him. I\u2019m just speculating here, but Tegan Kuhns has the kind of stuff they seem to like, and there\u2019s a great foundation for their pitching development group. (I\u2019d say that even more for Brett Renfrow, but he\u2019d be a reach here.)<\/p>\n

Position Player<\/p>\n

High School<\/p>\n

3B<\/p>\n

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Player Profile<\/p>\n

School: Stoneman Douglas HS (Parkland, Fla.), Bats: R, Throws: L<\/p>\n

If Brody Bumila is still available, and the Padres don\u2019t take him, I will eat \u2026 some fish tacos. I don\u2019t have the guts to finish that sentence some other way. Anyway, in the last four drafts, only six teams have taken a high school pitcher in the top 30 picks, and the Padres are the only team to do it three times. In this draft, where there\u2019s depth in the prep arms but they\u2019ll mostly still be on the board at this pick, I\u2019m going to assign them a high school pitcher like Rojas until told otherwise.<\/p>\n

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Player Profile<\/p>\n

School: Southside Christian School (Simpsonville, SC), Bats: B, Throws: L<\/p>\n

Straight guess here. I could see the Tigers with Bo Lowrance, or maybe one of the high school bats I see as more comp\/second rounders \u2014 Landon Thome, Will Brick, James Clark, Trevor Condon, etc.<\/p>\n

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Player Profile<\/p>\n

School: Louisville, Bats: R, Throws: R<\/p>\n

I’ve heard the Cubs love Rose, and I agree. He missed almost half the season so far with a hamstring injury, but he\u2019s hitting .416\/.504\/.673, and that\u2019s without fattening up by playing Pencil State in the first few weekends. I could see them with Sawyer Strosnider, too.<\/p>\n

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Position Player<\/p>\n

4-Year College<\/p>\n

OF<\/p>\n

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Player Profile<\/p>\n

School: Virginia, Bats: L, Throws: L<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve heard more bats than arms at the Mariners’ pick, but also that\u2019s what\u2019s mostly on the board at this point \u2014 and the Mariners haven\u2019t taken a high school pitcher with their first pick since 2010. (Guess who it was.) Gracia and Sawyer Strosnider would fit, but I\u2019d be zero percent surprised to see them grab one of those high school bats I mentioned with Detroit.<\/p>\n

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Position Player<\/p>\n

4-Year College<\/p>\n

OF<\/p>\n

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Player Profile<\/p>\n

School: TCU, Bats: L, Throws: L<\/p>\n

This pick is me playing the scenario out \u2014 Strosnider at this spot in the draft is insane value, and some team that isn\u2019t \u201cattached\u201d to him in the rumors is just going to take him. His batted-ball data is very strong and Milwaukee does value that quite highly.<\/p>\n

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Position Player<\/p>\n

4-Year College<\/p>\n

OF<\/p>\n

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Player Profile<\/p>\n

School: Ganesha HS (Pomona, Calif.), Bats: L, Throws: L<\/p>\n

I\u2019m assuming \u2014 or guessing \u2014 that if Atlanta takes a college arm at pick nine, they\u2019d prefer to go back to high school at pick 26, rather than take another college pitcher like Tegan Kuhns. Under GM Alex Anthopoulos and director Ronit Shah, they haven\u2019t shown the team\u2019s old proclivity for taking local high school players, but Trevor Condon is sitting right there.<\/p>\n

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Player Profile<\/p>\n

School: Tennessee, Bats: B, Throws: R<\/p>\n

Again, at this point, I\u2019m working more off vibes than strong links. I imagine the Mets\u2019 player development staff would be ecstatic to get Kuhns in; they\u2019ll have a sweeper ready for him before the ink is dry.<\/p>\n

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Player Profile<\/p>\n

School: Nazareth Academy (La Grange Park, Ill.), Bats: L, Throws: R<\/p>\n

I saw Thome last year, as he was Jaden Fauske\u2019s teammate in high school, and I didn\u2019t think Thome \u2014 who is the son of Jim Thome \u2014 would end up a first-rounder or that close to it, but he\u2019s made real strides and it seems like he\u2019s going in the top 40ish picks.<\/p>\n

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Position Player<\/p>\n

High School<\/p>\n

SS<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s never too early for a mock draft \u2014 scratch that, it\u2019s almost always too early for a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":654385,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[435],"tags":[485,495,3960,3966,3959,49,48,508,3961,3983,491,4021,490,1506,474,3962,487,3981,493,3965,462,475,3980,481,509,477,512,470,82,3982,480,3992,507,3968],"class_list":["post-654384","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mlb","tag-arizona-diamondbacks","tag-athletics","tag-atlanta-braves","tag-baltimore-orioles","tag-boston-red-sox","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-chicago-cubs","tag-chicago-white-sox","tag-cincinnati-reds","tag-cleveland-guardians","tag-colorado-rockies","tag-detroit-tigers","tag-houston-astros","tag-kansas-city-royals","tag-los-angeles-angels","tag-los-angeles-dodgers","tag-miami-marlins","tag-milwaukee-brewers","tag-minnesota-twins","tag-mlb","tag-new-york-mets","tag-new-york-yankees","tag-philadelphia-phillies","tag-pittsburgh-pirates","tag-san-diego-padres","tag-san-francisco-giants","tag-seattle-mariners","tag-sports","tag-st-louis-cardinals","tag-tampa-bay-rays","tag-texas-rangers","tag-toronto-blue-jays","tag-washington-nationals"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/654384","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=654384"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/654384\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/654385"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=654384"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=654384"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=654384"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}