New 2026 MLB Mock Draft, 'Industry Buzz' on Favorite for White Sox at No. 1 Revealed by McDaniel

Two months away from the 2026 MLB draft, the race to be the No. 1 pick between UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky and Texas high school standout Grady Emerson remains extremely tight.

In a new mock from ESPN's Kiley McDaniel, Cholowsky is projected to be the pick by the Chicago White Sox, but the "industry buzz" right now indicates it's a true toss-up between Cholowsky and Emerson.

Team	Pick
1. White Sox	Roch Cholowsky, SS
2. Rays	Grady Emerson, SS
3. Twins	Vahn Lackey, C
4. Giants	Jacob Lombard, SS
5. Pirates	Jackson Flora, RHP
6. Royals	Eric Booth Jr., OF
7. Orioles	Ryder Helfrick, C
8. Athletics	Chris Hacopian, 2B
9. Braves	Drew Burress, OF
10. Rockies	Cameron Flukey, RHP

One important thing McDaniel did note is that Emerson would probably be more willing to sign for less than Cholowsky, giving the White Sox additional bonus money to spend on potential over-slot players later in the draft.

Another complicating factor could be the San Francisco Giants, whose recent trade of Patrick Bailey to the Cleveland Guardians brought back the No. 29 pick and the $3.3 million slot bonus that comes with it.

The Giants' bonus pool is now up to $17.4 million, which McDaniel noted people within MLB think could be used to "affect" the top of the draft by promising someone like a Cholowsky or Emerson to hold firm on a signing number that could scare off the teams picking before San Francisco comes up at No. 4.

According to McDaniel, teams also view Emerson as having "slightly higher upside" compared to Cholowsky.

Cholowsky does have the benefit of being more polished right now as a three-year college player, so he likely wouldn't require much time in the minors.

Emerson, despite being 18, has earned high marks for his advanced feel and polish. His scouting report on MLB.com notes he compares favorably to Kansas City Royals star Bobby Witt Jr., who was a No. 2 pick out of high school in 2019 and made it to the big leagues at the start of 2022 as a 21-year-old.

Cholowsky entered the spring as the frontrunner to go No. 1. He was coming off a 2025 season in which he hit .353/.480/.710 to help the Bruins advance to the College World Series before being eliminated in the second round.

This season has seen Cholowsky "only" produce a .338/.463/.707 slash line in 51 games so far.

The 2026 MLB draft will take place from July 12-13 from Philadelphia, the site of the All-Star Game.