The 20-round, 613-pick 2026 MLB Draft was held this past weekend in Philadelphia, site of the All-Star Game. Future All-Stars were drafted. Maybe a future MVP or Cy Young. Possibly even a future Hall of Famer. The White Sox have already signed UCLA SS Roch Cholowsky, the No. 1 overall pick. His career will get underway in the coming weeks.
We liked some draft classes better than others, and it’s never too early to look ahead to the top prospects eligible for next year’s draft. Now, to wrap up our draft coverage, here are the teams that drafted their new No. 1 prospect. Come with us, won’t you?
Baltimore Orioles
New No. 1 prospect: OF Eric Booth Jr. (No. 7 pick)
Old No. 1 prospect: 1B/OF Ike Irish
Perhaps you consider LHP Joseph Dzierwa or OF Nate George the O’s erstwhile top prospect over Irish. Either way, Baltimore’s system is in a down period right now after graduates and trades. Booth, a high school outfielder from Mississippi, was one of the most electrifying players in this year’s draft. He’s a top-of-the-line runner with contact skills and surprising power for a player his size (6-foot even). Booth has an unconventional setup at the plate and he’s unrefined as a baserunner and center field defender, though he has legitimate 30-30 potential, which makes him an easy call to usurp Irish (or Dzierwa or George) as Baltimore’s new top prospect.
Chicago White Sox
New No. 1 prospect: SS Roch Cholowsky (No. 1 pick)
Old No. 1 prospect: IF Caleb Bonemer
It’s not often the No. 1 overall pick doesn’t become his team’s new top prospect. Cholowsky is a do-it-all type with contact skills, power potential, terrific defense, and leadership skills. With all due respect to Bonemer, who slugged 18 home runs in only 61 High Class-A games before a recent promotion to Double-A, it’s an easy call to put Cholowsky atop Chicago’s system. That is especially true with LHP Noah Schultz clearing the 50-inning rookie limit last weekend and OF Braden Montgomery about a week away from exceeding the 130 at-bat rookie limit. Schultz graduated to the big leagues and Montgomery will soon, giving Cholowsky an even clearer path to being the White Sox’s No. 1 prospect.
Colorado Rockies
New No. 1 prospect: SS Tyler Bell (No. 10 pick)
Old No. 1 prospect: SS Ethan Holliday
This is more about me loving Bell than a knock on Holliday. Bell could’ve challenged Cholowsky as the No. 1 pick had he not suffered (and played through) a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder this spring. Switch-hitting shortstops with power, patience, and strong defense are what the No. 1 prospect in an organization should look like. Holliday, son of longtime big leaguer Matt Holliday, was having a strong year before a stress fracture in his foot ended his season on May 20. There are swing-and-miss concerns with Holliday, concerns that don’t exist with Bell. The Rockies have both guys, so who ranks ahead of whom doesn’t really matter, but I prefer Bell to Holliday.
The maybe pile
In a few cases it’s not clear a team drafted its new No. 1 prospect. Maybe they did! Maybe not. It’s in the eye of the beholder. Here are three teams that may or may not have drafted their new top prospect.
Miami Marlins: Teams gravitated toward bat-to-ball skills early in the draft, which allowed Miami to use the No. 14 pick on SS Jacob Lombard, who plays high school ball about 30 minutes from loanDepot Park (depending on the traffic). Lombard has some swing-and-miss questions but he’s very athletic and has real power, and he’s a strong defender too. LHP Thomas White (shoulder) and LHP Robby Snelling (Tommy John surgery) are down with injuries. The top prospect conversation boils down to Lombard or SS Aiva Arquette.
Minnesota Twins: The Twins have a good problem — “problem” — with their top prospect debate. It’s either OF Walker Jenkins, who is one of the 10-ish best prospects in baseball, or C Vahn Lackey, who was the No. 3 pick last weekend. I would lean toward Jenkins, who is performing in Triple-A and on the cusp of the big leagues. Also, he’s only five months older than Lackey. Lackey is no slouch though. He has all the tools needed to become a middle-of-the-order force while playing strong defense behind the plate. Which one is Minnesota’s No. 1 prospect is sort of a silly question when they’ll be hitting 2-3 in their lineup before long.
Tampa Bay Rays: Similar to the Twins, the Rays have the best kind of debate at the top of their farm system. SS Grady Emerson, the No. 2 pick and a Texas high schooler, puts up enormous exit velocities and is an underrated defender because he makes the game look very easy. His best-case scenario looks something like Gunnar Henderson with a better glove. That stated, OF Theo Gillen is one of the 10 or so best prospects in the game. He was recently promoted to Double-A after bludgeoning High Class-A pitchers. I’d rank Emerson over Gillen because of the up-the-middle impact, but there’s no wrong answer.
