Final MLB Mock Draft 2026 Revealed by Keith Law, How Does It Compare to ESPN and B/R?

On the eve of the start of the 2026 MLB draft, figuring out who the Chicago White Sox will take at No. 1 overall remains a mystery with two apparent candidates standing out.

The Athletic's Keith Law dropped his final mock on Friday with Texas high school shortstop Grady Emerson projected to be the top pick.

Here are the top 10 picks from Law's mock, as well as how the projection compares to those released by ESPN's Kiley McDaniel and B/R's Joel Reuter.

Pick	Keith Law
1. White Sox	SS Grady Emerson, Fort Worth Christian School (TX)
2. Rays	C Vahn Lackey, Georgia Tech
3. Twins	SS Roch Cholowsky, UCLA
4. Giants	SS Jacob Lombard, Gulliver Prep (FL)
5. Pirates	RHP Jackson Flora, UC Santa Barbara
6. Royals	OF Drew Burress, Georgia Tech
7. Orioles	OF Eric Booth Jr., Oak Grove HS (MS)
8. Athletics	C Ryder Helfrick, Arkansas
9. Braves	LHP Gio Rojas, Stoneman Douglas HS (FL)
10. Rockies	OF Derek Curiel, LSU

Pick	ESPN	B/R
1. White Sox	Cholowsky	Emerson
2. Rays	Emerson	Cholowsky
3. Twins	Lackey	Lackey
4. Giants	Booth	Flora
5. Pirates	Burress	Lombard
6. Royals	OF/LHP Jared Grindlinger Huntington Beach HS (CA)	Booth
7. Orioles	Flora	Burress
8. Athletics	2B Chris Hacopian, Texas A&M	Bell
9. Braves	SS Tyler Bell, Kentucky	Curiel
10. Rockies	Lombard	Helfrick

The choice for the White Sox appears to be between Grady Emerson and Roch Cholowsky, though Vahn Lackey could also be in the mix.

Law did note people within MLB say the White Sox are "more engaged" with Cholowsky right now and could be using the other two to create a smoke screen in an attempt to get the UCLA star to take a cheaper deal, but it doesn't sound like any of them will give much of a discount.

McDaniel is giving a slight edge to Cholowsky over Emerson since there is less risk for the proven college hitter compared to the high-upside high school player, but wrote that he doesn't "feel great about" his pick right now.

The No. 1 pick serves as a pivot point because of what the Tampa Bay Rays want to do with their selection. There's a real scenario in which they decide to take Lackey if Emerson goes to the White Sox.

MLB.com's Jim Callis noted coming out of the combine that teams picking behind the Rays believe they are "fairly convicted" Lackey will be Tampa's selection, but Emerson could be the choice if Cholowsky ends up in Chicago.

The Twins are in a prime position because there are three top-tier prospects in this draft, so they can just wait to see which one is still on the board when their turn comes up.

Lackey appears to be running in third behind Cholowsky and Emerson, but it's hardly a bad outcome for Minnesota to end up with a catcher who hit .397/.519/.772 for Georgia Tech in 2026.

The Rays and Pittsburgh Pirates are two teams that could try to get aggressive since they have the most total bonus money to play with at more than $19 million. The White Sox are third with $17.6 million available.

Another team that has positioned itself to potentially have a bold draft is the San Francisco Giants, who acquired the No. 29 pick from the Cleveland Guardians in the Patrick Bailey trade.

The 29th pick comes with a slot value of $3.3 million, pushing the Giants' total bonus pool up to $17.4 million.

This season has been disastrous for the Giants on the field, but they can build at least some positive momentum for the future with a strong draft haul.

We will find out what all 30 teams are thinking when the 2026 draft begins on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET.