Story by
Yahoo Sports Staff
Sat, July 11, 2026 at 3:00 PM UTC
The 2026 MLB Draft is upon us. The first four rounds will be held on Saturday, July 11, with the final 16 rounds taking place on Sunday, July 12
The Chicago White Sox find themselves in a unique position, in contention for the AL Central lead, and also have the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. The Tampa Bay Rays, Minnesota Twins, San Francisco Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates round out the top five picks
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This could be a historic draft depending on what happens with the expiring collective bargaining agreement between MLB and the MLBPA. Some of the proposed changes have had draft implications, such as the MLBPA suggesting that players would no longer be eligible for the draft right out of high school
This would be a huge change moving forward — taking this year as an example, four of the top eight players in this year’s draft class are in high school
Eighteen-year-old shortstop Grady Emerson, UCLA SS Roch Cholowsky, Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey and UC Santa Barbara RHP Jackson Flora lead the top available prospects in the class
Where to watch Day 1 of the 2026 MLB Draft
Picks 1-10 (1-2:30 p.m. ET): NBC, Peacock
Picks 11-40 (2:30-4:30 p.m. ET): MLB Network, MLB.com, MLB.TV, MLB+
Picks 41-135 (4:30-7:45 p.m. ET): MLB.com, MLB.TV, MLB+
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Follow along with Yahoo Sports for the latest picks, analysis and more from the 2026 MLB Draft
The Chicago White Sox are on the clock
Frankly, that has been the case for a while now, ever since the South Siders landed the No. 1 pick in the 2026 MLB Draft (1 p.m. ET, July 11) in the December draft lottery. Back then, few would’ve expected the White Sox to be in the midst of an ascendancy, well above .500 and atop the American League Central
Whom will Chicago take?
There are, effectively, three options: UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky, Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey and a high school shortstop from Texas named Grady Emerson. The overwhelming industry expectation is that Chicago picks one of those three on draft day, but there’s obviously a chance that general manager Chris Getz and Co. make a shocking pivot
Read more about this very talented trio, highlight what makes each player special and handicap each one’s chances to be the first name called on July 11
