Just three days before the best players in Major League Baseball take the field for the 2026 MLB All-Star Game, the future stars got the spotlight at the 2026 MLB Draft.
The draft is now 20 rounds, spanning both Saturday and Sunday in Philadelphia. While Major League Baseball has proposed changes to the format and eligibility of the MLB Draft, right now, American high school players and college players who are three years removed from high school are eligible to be drafted. While the players drafted on Saturday in the first round of the MLB Draft may not have the name recognition of guys taken in the NBA or NFL Draft, they have every bit the chance to make a near-immediate impact on their organizations, as Chase Burns and Nick Kurtz did for the Reds and Athletics, respectively, about a year after being selected.
So who were the picks I was most impressed, confused, or intrigued by?
I know it feels silly to put the first overall pick here, but I think this is more about what the pick says about the White Sox's frame of mind. There is a pretty compelling case that Grady Emerson (who eventually went second) has a higher ceiling than Cholowsky as a prospect. A high school senior, Emerson is farther along as a player at his age than Cholowsky was, and there aren't many flaws in his game. However, Cholowsky, after three seasons at UCLA, is certainly closer to being MLB-ready. With the White Sox contending for a playoff spot in 2026, they opted to pick the player who was most likely to help them in the next two or three years. To me, that's a vote of confidence not just in what the White Sox are building for the future but in what they have right now. I love that the White Sox are looking to be better now (or in 2027) and not just in the future.
The consensus best pitching prospect in the draft going to a team with glaring needs in the rotation is obviously something that we should support. Flora figures to rise through the minors quickly, and I talked with Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline this week about why Flora is the most advanced pitcher in the 2026 MLB Draft.
The draft is now 20 rounds, spanning both Saturday and Sunday in Philadelphia. While Major League Baseball has proposed changes to the format and eligibility of the MLB Draft, right now, American high school players and college players who are three years removed from high school are eligible to be drafted. While the players drafted on Saturday in the first round of the MLB Draft may not have the name recognition of guys taken in the NBA or NFL Draft, they have every bit the chance to make a near-immediate impact on their organizations, as Chase Burns and Nick Kurtz did for the Reds and Athletics, respectively, about a year after being selected.
So who were the picks I was most impressed, confused, or intrigued by?
I know it feels silly to put the first overall pick here, but I think this is more about what the pick says about the White Sox's frame of mind. There is a pretty compelling case that Grady Emerson (who eventually went second) has a higher ceiling than Cholowsky as a prospect. A high school senior, Emerson is farther along as a player at his age than Cholowsky was, and there aren't many flaws in his game. However, Cholowsky, after three seasons at UCLA, is certainly closer to being MLB-ready. With the White Sox contending for a playoff spot in 2026, they opted to pick the player who was most likely to help them in the next two or three years. To me, that's a vote of confidence not just in what the White Sox are building for the future but in what they have right now. I love that the White Sox are looking to be better now (or in 2027) and not just in the future.
The consensus best pitching prospect in the draft going to a team with glaring needs in the rotation is obviously something that we should support. Flora figures to rise through the minors quickly, and I talked with Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline this week about why Flora is the most advanced pitcher in the 2026 MLB Draft.
3 months ago
