2026 MLB Draft: White Sox Pick First, Full Day 1 Order
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- Chicago White Sox hold the first overall pick when the 2026 MLB draft begins Saturday at 1 p.m. ET
- UCLA's Roch Cholowsky, Texas prep Grady Emerson, and Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey top ESPN analyst Kiley McDaniel's draft rankings entering the event
- Tampa Bay Rays, Minnesota Twins, San Francisco Giants, and Pittsburgh Pirates hold picks 2 through 5 immediately after the White Sox
- ESPN's David Schoenfield and Dan Mullen will deliver pick-by-pick breakdowns for the first round as selections are announced live
- Mets, Blue Jays, Yankees, Phillies, and Dodgers each received a 10-pick penalty on their first selection for exceeding MLB's competitive balance tax second surcharge threshold
- Atlanta Braves earned a Prospect Promotion Incentive pick (#26) after Drake Baldwin won NL Rookie of the Year, while Houston Astros hold one (#28) for Hunter Brown's top-three Cy Young finish
Why it matters: The competitive balance tax penalties push five high-revenue teams' first selections back 10 slots, directly altering where top prospects land in a class headlined by elite shortstops and a potential franchise catcher — with the White Sox's No. 1 call setting the draft's tone.
