MLB mock draft 2026: Final predictions for first two rounds - ESPN

The 2026 MLB draft starts Saturday (1 p.m. ET), so it's time for my final projections on the first two rounds.

The intrigue begins with the No. 1 pick this year. The Chicago White Sox are still debating among the three players in a clear tier at the top of this draft class: UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky, Texas prep shortstop Grady Emerson and Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey.

Though those three are likely to be selected with the first three picks — in some order — after that, it's anyone's guess in a wide-open first round.

Who will the White Sox, Tampa Bay Rays and Minnesota Twins land with the first three picks? And which players will be next off the board?

This is my final mock draft of the 2026 draft cycle, with updates based on my latest draft-day intel coming here Saturday. And remember, this is the order in which I think players will be selected, while my final draft rankings are the order in which I'd pick the players.

Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA
Rank: 1

This one still isn't finished, and I don't feel great about it.

My current read is that, as people believed early in the spring, Cholowsky and Grady Emerson are running close at the top, with Lackey closing in. But Lackey's late start playing competitive baseball and his positional challenge of being a catcher will keep him just behind the first two. I think the tiebreaker has and will continue to be proximity/risk that leans to Cholowsky over Emerson.

I don't get the impression that bonus prices have been discussed as of Thursday for any of these top picks, so that's why this isn't settled and likely won't be until a few hours before the draft, if that.

Grady Emerson, SS, Fort Worth Christian HS (Texas)
Rank: 2

The Rays are very interested in Lackey, as has been