2026 MLB Draft picks tracker: Who will Chicago White Sox take No. 1 overall?

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The 2026 MLB Draft begins in Philadelphia on July 11, with the Chicago White Sox picking first overall. A promising young franchise that needs an injection into its middling farm system, who will the Southsiders land on? Will it be UCLA's star shortstop and longtime consensus No. 1 pick Roch Cholowsky? Georgia Tech's breakout star catcher Vahn Lackey? Or will the White Sox follow in the footsteps of the Washington Nationals last year and pick Texas high schooler Grady Emerson?

All options are on the table for Chicago, which heads into the All-Star break battling for first in the AL Central with the Cleveland Guardians. From there, it's anyone's guess. The Tampa Bay Rays will be picking second, the Minnesota Twins third, the San Francisco Giants fourth, and the Pittsburgh Pirates round out the top five.

The White Sox now face an interesting decision. White Sox amateur scouting director Mike Shirley has indicated the team won't be rushing anyone to the Bigs, regardless of team success. “Our guys have done a tremendous job in letting the player mature," Shirley said to MLB.com earlier this season. "Even the 1-1 pick, he’ll tell us when he’s ready. In some ways the development of this, maybe the player doesn’t have to be rushed to support the organization."

That certainly doesn't signal a philosophy shift is imminent, though the franchise likely wouldn't want to tip its hand. The Rays and Twins won't be moved off their building strategies, and the Giants need to find a way to right the ship in San Francisco.

The slot value at No. 1 overall is $11,350,600, up 2.5% from last season.

USA TODAY Sports will keep you up to date with all the picks made in the 2026 MLB Draft:

2026 MLB Draft picks tracker​

First round​

1. Chicago White Sox
2. Tampa Bay Rays
3. Minnesota Twins
4. San Francisco Giants
5. Pittsburgh Pirates
6. Kansas City Royals
7. Baltimore Orioles
8. Athletics
9. Atlanta Braves
10. Colorado Rockies
11. Washington Nationals
12. Los Angeles Angels
13. St. Louis Cardinals
14. Miami Marlins
15. Arizona Diamondbacks
16. Texas Rangers
17. Houston Astros
18. Cincinnati Reds
19. Cleveland Guardians
20. Boston Red Sox
21. San Diego Padres
22. Detroit Tigers
23. Chicago Cubs
24. Seattle Mariners
25. Milwaukee Brewers

Prospect Promotion Incentive Picks​

26. Atlanta Braves

27. New York Mets

28. Houston Astros

Competitive Balance Round A​

29. San Francisco Giants

30. Kansas City Royals

31. Arizona Diamondbacks

32. St. Louis Cardinals

33. Tampa Bay Rays

34. Pittsburgh Pirates

35. New York Yankees

36. Philadelphia Phillies

37. Colorado Rockies

Second round​

38. Colorado Rockies

39. Toronto Blue Jays

40. Los Angeles Dodgers

41. Chicago White Sox

42. Washington Nationals

43. Minnesota Twins

44. Pittsburgh Pirates

45. Los Angeles Angels

46. Baltimore Orioles

47. Athletics

48. Atlanta Braves

49. Tampa Bay Rays

50. St. Louis Cardinals

51. Pittsburgh Pirates

52. Miami Marlins

53. Arizona Diamondbacks

54. Texas Rangers

55. San Francisco Giants

56. Kansas City Royals

57. Houston Astros

58. Cincinnati Reds

59. Cleveland Guardians

60. San Diego Padres

61. Detroit Tigers

62. Chicago Cubs

63. New York Yankees

64. Philadelphia Phillies

65. Seattle Mariners

66. Milwaukee Brewers

Competitive Balance Round B​

67. Boston Red Sox

68. St. Louis Cardinals

69. Detroit Tigers

70. Cincinnati Reds

71. Miami Marlins

72. St. Louis Cardinals

73. Athletics

74. Minnesota Twins

Compensation Picks​

75. Chicago Cubs

Third round​

76. Colorado Rockies

77. Chicago White Sox

78. Washington Nationals

79. Minnesota Twins

80. Pittsburgh Pirates

81. Los Angeles Angels

82. Baltimore Orioles

83. Athletics

84. Atlanta Braves

85. Tampa Bay Rays

86. St. Louis Cardinals

87. Miami Marlins

88. Arizona Diamondbacks

89. Texas Rangers

90. San Francisco Giants

91. Kansas City Royals

92. New York Mets

93. Houston Astros

94. Cincinnati Reds

95. Cleveland Guardians

96. Boston Red Sox

97. San Diego Padres

98. Chicago Cubs

99. New York Yankees

100. Philadelphia Phillies

101. Seattle Mariners

102. Milwaukee Brewers

103. Toronto Blue Jays

Fourth round​

104. Colorado Rockies

105. Chicago White Sox

106. Washington Nationals

107. Minnesota Twins

108. Pittsburgh Pirates

109. Los Angeles Angels

110. Baltimore Orioles

111. Athletics

112. Atlanta Braves

113. Tampa Bay Rays

114. St. Louis Cardinals

115. Miami Marlins

116. Arizona Diamondbacks

117. Texas Rangers

118. San Francisco Giants

119. Kansas City Royals

120. New York Mets

121. Houston Astros

122. Cincinnati Reds

123. Cleveland Guardians

124. San Diego Padres

125. Detroit Tigers

126. Chicago Cubs

127. New York Yankees

128. Philadelphia Phillies

129. Seattle Mariners

130. Milwaukee Brewers

131. Toronto Blue Jays

132. Los Angeles Dodgers

Compensation picks​

133. Houston Astros

134. San Diego Padres

135. Philadelphia Phillies

Fifth round​

136. Colorado Rockies

137. Chicago White Sox

138. Washington Nationals

139. Minnesota Twins

140. Pittsburgh Pirates

141. Los Angeles Angels

142. Baltimore Orioles

143. Athletics

144. Atlanta Braves

145. Tampa Bay Rays

146. St. Louis Cardinals

147. Miami Marlins

148. Arizona Diamondbacks

149. Texas Rangers

150. San Francisco Giants

151. Kansas City Royals

152. New York Mets

153. Houston Astros

154. Cincinnati Reds

155. Cleveland Guardians

156. Boston Red Sox

157. San Diego Padres

158. Detroit Tigers

159. Chicago Cubs

160. New York Yankees

161. Philadelphia Phillies

162. Seattle Mariners

163. Milwaukee Brewers

164. Toronto Blue Jays

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2026 MLB Draft picks tracker: Who will Chicago White Sox take No. 1 overall?

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