The first round of the 2026 MLB draft delivered a little of everything on Saturday: a top pick for the White Sox, a rare run on position players early, and a family name that will get plenty of attention in Chicago.
The biggest headline belonged to the White Sox, who used the No. 1 selection on UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky after narrowing their choices down to three players. Cholowsky arrives with a strong college résumé, having won Big Ten Conference Baseball Player of the Year honors in each of the last two seasons and finished as a finalist for the 2026 Golden Spikes Award, which goes to the best amateur player in the country. At 21, he’s now positioned as a major part of Chicago’s future, and the next question is how fast he moves through the minors.
Chicago wasn’t done making noise in the first round, either. With the 34th pick, the White Sox grabbed high school shortstop Landon Thome, the son of Hall of Famer Jim Thome.
One of the more surprising developments came early, where pitching was hard to find. Only one pitcher came off the board in the first 10 picks: UC Santa Barbara right-hander Jackson Flora, who went No. 4 to the San Francisco Giants. The 21-year-old California native had been widely seen as the top pitching prospect in the draft.
That trend stretched a bit further when the Los Angeles Angels took Jared Grindlinger, a two-way high school player, at No. 12.
The Angels announced the 17-year-old as an outfielder, though he could also work as a left-handed pitcher later on. Even if he’s counted on the mound, that would still leave just two pitchers taken through the first 15 selections.
The draft also produced a notable teammate pairing near the top. Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey went third to the Minnesota Twins, and Georgia Tech outfielder Drew Burress followed at No. 8 to the Athletics. According to MLB Pipeline, that made them the 15th set of teammates to be drafted within the first 10 picks of the same draft.
Another family connection surfaced at No. 14, where the Miami Marlins selected high school shortstop Jacob Lombard. He’s the younger brother of George Lombard Jr., the New York Yankees’ No. 1 prospect, who went 26th in 2023. This time, the younger Lombard got the higher draft slot - and the bragging rights that come with it.
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For the As, the move is about patching together infield depth while injuries continue to thin the group. With Nick Kurtz and Zack Gelof both sidelined, Walton gives them another option, and there is at least a path for him to fit into a platoon role at third base as Oakland tries to keep the lineup balanced. [Read more 🡒]
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What makes the pick even more interesting is the long-term fit. Willits has been viewed as a shortstop, but there is at least some question about whether he ultimately sticks there or ends up sliding to second base, which adds another layer to a selection that already comes with plenty of familiarity and upside. For an Angels organization trying to keep adding talent wherever it can find it, this was the kind of move that blends pedigree, production and a little bit of future uncertainty. [Read more 🡒]
Angels Fans May Not Like What Jo Adell Trade Buzz Means
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For the Angels, the buzz is the kind that can cut both ways. A player who has shown he can punish left-handed pitching and give a lineup a needed right-field presence is exactly the sort of name that tends to surface when contenders start lining up their winter and deadline plans, and it also says plenty about how the market could treat a right-handed outfield upgrade. Even if the price feels steep, the broader point is hard to miss: bats like this are not going to come cheap, and that is the part of the conversation Angels fans probably wont love. [Read more 🡒]