The 2026 MLB draft begins Saturday at 1 p.m. Eastern time, with the Chicago White Sox still weighing three top prospects for the first overall pick just hours before selections get underway, according to ESPN's final mock draft published Saturday morning.

The White Sox have narrowed their choice to a tier of three players: UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky, Texas prep shortstop Grady Emerson and Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey. All three are expected to come off the board within the draft's first three picks, though the order remained unsettled as of Saturday morning, according to ESPN draft analyst Kiley McDaniel, who noted that bonus discussions for the top picks had not been finalized as of Thursday.

McDaniel's projection has the White Sox ultimately selecting Cholowsky, followed by the Tampa Bay Rays taking Emerson at No. 2 and the Minnesota Twins landing Lackey at No. 3. McDaniel wrote that the deciding factor between Cholowsky and Emerson likely comes down to a preference for proximity to the majors and reduced risk, an edge he gives to Cholowsky over the high school shortstop. Lackey, a catcher who started competitive baseball relatively late and carries added positional demands, is expected to fall just behind the other two despite drawing strong interest from Tampa Bay.

After the top three picks, McDaniel described the remainder of the first round as far more unpredictable, with talent evaluators across the league split on how a wide-open group of prospects will be sorted. Saturday morning brought a round of late changes to the top 13 picks based on fresh information........

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