{"id":747213,"date":"2026-07-09T12:51:27","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T12:51:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/747213\/"},"modified":"2026-07-09T12:51:27","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T12:51:27","slug":"2026-mlb-draft-what-cubs-white-sox-fans-should-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/747213\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 MLB draft: What Cubs, White Sox fans should know"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Chicago White Sox have the No. 1 pick<\/a> in the MLB draft for the first time in 49 years \u2014 and a Lincoln-Way East alumnus has been rocketing up the prospect rankings and could be selected in the top 10. There will be a lot to look for as the annual draft gets underway Saturday.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the third time in franchise history that the Sox have the No. 1 pick<\/a> and first since 1977, when they selected Hall of Famer Harold Baines.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s exciting, a great day in White Sox history,\u201d director of amateur scouting Mike Shirley said on the day of the draft lottery. \u201cWe\u2019re super excited. We will exhaust all resources to be sure we\u2019re prepared and execute a draft plan that\u2019s right.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Cubs\u2019 first selection will be at No. 23, a number with great significance in Chicago \u2014 particularly as the jersey number of the team\u2019s late Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg<\/a>, who died last July.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what else to know about the two-day draft and how recent Sox and Cubs draft picks have panned out.<\/p>\n

When is the draft and how can I watch?<\/p>\n

MLB\u2019s first-year player draft<\/a> once again coincides with All-Star Week. The event will take place at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia. The draft is 20 rounds over two days.<\/p>\n

The first four rounds begin at noon Saturday. The first 10 picks will be broadcast exclusively on NBC-5 and Peacock, then switches to a simulcast on MLB Network, MLB.com, MLB TV and MLB+.<\/p>\n

Rounds 5-20 will begin at 10:30 a.m. Sunday and be shown on MLB.com, MLB TV and MLB+.<\/p>\n

Saturday<\/p>\n

Rounds 1-4, noon CT
\nTV: NBC, first 10 picks; MLB Network, picks 11-40
\nStreaming: Peacock, first 10 picks; MLB.com, picks 11-135<\/p>\n

Sunday<\/p>\n

Rounds 5-20, 10:30 a.m. CT
\nStreaming: MLB.com, MLB TV, MLB+<\/p>\n

How many picks do the White Sox and Cubs have?<\/p>\n

The Sox have 20 selections<\/a>, one in each round.<\/p>\n

The Cubs have 21 picks, including a compensation pick at No. 75, right before the third round. They received that pick for losing qualified free agent Kyle Tucker<\/a> in the offseason when he signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers.<\/p>\n

White Sox<\/p>\n

No. 1
\nNo. 41
\nNo. 77
\nNo. 105
\nNo. 137 and every 30th pick thereafter<\/p>\n

Cubs<\/p>\n

No. 23
\nNo. 62
\nNo. 75 (compensation pick)
\nNo. 98
\nNo. 126
\nNo. 159 and every 30th pick thereafter<\/p>\n

When did they last have these first-round picks?
\n\"HaroldHarold Baines waves during a news conference for the Baseball Hall of Fame at the MLB winter meetings Dec. 10, 2018, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo\/John Locher)<\/p>\n

This is the third time the Sox have had the No. 1 pick. The most recent was 49 years ago, when they selected Baines out of St. Michaels (Md.) High School.<\/p>\n

Baines spent 14 of his 22 major-league seasons playing on the South Side and was a six-time All-Star. He returned to the Sox as a coach under Ozzie Guillen and earned a World Series ring with the 2005 team. Baines was inducted<\/a> into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019 amid controversy over his selection<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Sox drafted first baseman Danny Goodwin from Peoria High School with the No. 1 pick in 1971. But Goodwin never signed with the Sox and was drafted again<\/a> with the No. 1 pick by the California Angels in 1975. He played parts of seven major-league seasons.<\/p>\n

The only time the Cubs have drafted at No. 23 was in 1990, selecting left-handed pitcher Lance Dickson. He made three appearances for the Cubs that August, his only major-league games.<\/p>\n

What is new in 2026?<\/p>\n

While the draft still coincides with MLB\u2019s All-Star Week, this year it gets going a day early \u2014 on Saturday, while regular-season games are being played.<\/p>\n

The Sox announced May 20 that the time of Saturday\u2019s home game against the Athletics had been moved up two hours to 1:10 p.m. and that an Alumni Home Run Derby will follow the game. The Sox are expected to be on the clock for the No. 1 pick starting at 12:37 p.m.<\/p>\n

Rounds 1-4 \u2014 including the Prospect Promotion Incentive, Compensation and two Competitive Balance rounds \u2014 will take place Saturday. Rounds 5-20 will be held Sunday.<\/p>\n

As part of MLB\u2019s media rights agreement announced in 2025, the first 10 picks Saturday will be broadcast on NBC. This marks the first time the MLB draft is scheduled to be shown on network television.<\/p>\n

For the fourth year, MLB utilized a draft lottery to determine the order of the first six picks. The lottery was held during the winter meetings in December \u2014 and the Sox won the No. 1 pick<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Toronto Blue Jays, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees all had their 2026 first-round picks dropped by 10 slots for exceeding a luxury-tax threshold.<\/p>\n

The assigned bonus value<\/a> of the Sox\u2019s No. 1 pick is $11,350,600, the largest ever for the top spot. The team\u2019s total bonus pool is $17,592,100, the third-highest in the majors and a whopping 45% more than the Sox\u2019s pool total from 2025, a reflection of winning the draft lottery.<\/p>\n

The Cubs have a total bonus pool of $9,644,100, nearly identical to their 2025 number. Their first-round pick at No. 23 carries a slot value of $3,947,600. However, MLB.com reports the Cubs\u2019 bonus spending has surpassed their pool every year since the system began in 2012.<\/p>\n

MLB.com reports the total bonus pool for all 30 teams is close to $359 million, a 2.5% increase from the 2025 total. Last year\u2019s actual bonus spending \u2014 teams face penalties for exceeding their pools \u2014 again broke a record at more than $392 million.<\/p>\n

Who are the top prospects?
\n\"UCLA'sUCLA’s Roch Cholowsky bats against St. Mary’s in an NCAA regional game May 29, 2026, in Los Angeles. (Keith Birmingham\/Pasadena Star-News)<\/p>\n

MLB Pipeline ranks the top 250 draft-eligible prospects<\/a>, and atop the list all year has been 21-year-old Roch Cholowsky<\/a>, a shortstop from UCLA. The Bruins went bust<\/a> in the NCAA Tournament, getting bounced in the regionals as the overall No. 1 seed. But Cholowsky was named Big Ten Player of the Year and a first-team All-American for the second consecutive season. He slashed .320\/.452\/.636 with 21 home runs and 60 RBIs.<\/p>\n

Nearly every mock draft has the White Sox choosing Cholowsky<\/a>, and it would fit a pattern: In the last five years, they\u2019ve drafted three shortstops in the first round.<\/p>\n

Also high in the prospect rankings are Texas high school shortstop Grady Emerson, Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey and UC Santa Barbara right-handed pitcher Jackson Flora. MLB Pipeline\u2019s top 20 includes 14 college players.<\/p>\n

Florida high school shortstop Jacob Lombard has a name that may be familiar to baseball fans. He is the youngest son of George Lombard, who played six major-league seasons and is now the Detroit Tigers bench coach, and the brother of George Lombard Jr., a first-round draft pick by the Yankees in 2023.<\/p>\n

Left-hander Gio Rojas shares an alma mater with former Cubs All-Star first baseman Anthony Rizzo \u2014 Marjory Stoneman Douglas in Parkland, Fla. \u2014 and could be that high school\u2019s first first-round MLB draft pick.<\/p>\n

The Cubs aren\u2019t known to select high school players in the first round, and presuming that won\u2019t change, the college talent ranked around No. 23 includes Virginia outfielder AJ Gracia (No. 19 in MLB Pipeline\u2019s rankings), Florida right-hander Liam Peterson (No. 20), TCU outfielder Sawyer Strosnider (No. 22), Tennessee right-hander Tegan Kuhns (No. 25) and Arizona State left-hander Cole Carlon (No. 26).<\/p>\n

MLB.com\u2019s mock draft from July 2<\/a> had the Sox projected to take Cholowsky with the top pick. Down the board at No. 23, the mock draft had the Cubs taking Coastal Carolina right-hander Cameron Flukey but also looking at other college pitchers, including Kuhns, Carlon and USC\u2019s Mason Edwards.<\/p>\n

Any local prospects who could be drafted?
\n\"KentuckyKentucky infielder Tyler Bell throws during a game against LSU on March 29, 2026, in Baton Rouge, La. (AP Photo\/Matthew Hinton)<\/p>\n

Eight players from Illinois and northwest Indiana are among MLB Pipeline\u2019s top 250 prospects.<\/p>\n

No. 10 Tyler Bell is a switch-hitting shortstop from Lincoln-Way East<\/a> who spent the last two seasons raising his draft stock at Kentucky, punctuated by appearances in the Cape Cod League and with USA Baseball\u2019s collegiate national team. He slashed .314\/.438\/.556 with 75 RBIs in two years with the Wildcats and was named first-team All-SEC this season despite dealing with a shoulder injury. Bell was selected<\/a> at No. 66 by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2024 draft and was the highest pick not to sign. He is draft-eligible again because of his age.<\/p>\n

No. 30 Zion Rose played three seasons at Brother Rice, earning Daily Southtown Player of the Year<\/a> honors as a junior, before transferring to IMG Academy in Florida for his senior year. The Chicago native<\/a> is a 6-foot-1 outfielder who slashed .358\/.438\/.585 with 24 home runs, 146 RBIs and 65 stolen bases in three seasons at Louisville. Rose also played in the Cape Cod League and with the USA Baseball collegiate national team.<\/p>\n

No. 34 Landon Thome has a familiar name thanks to his Hall of Fame father, Jim<\/a>, and the left-handed-hitting infielder from Nazareth has plenty of his own accolades: Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year, 2023 Class 3A state champion<\/a> and a nod on several high school All-America lists after this past season. As a senior he hit .535 with seven home runs and 29 RBIs and was 49-for-50 in stolen-base attempts. Thome is committed to Florida State but participated in June\u2019s MLB combine, where he and his father shared a fun interview<\/a>.<\/p>\n

No. 71 Ethan Bass is a 6-2 shortstop from Glenbrook North<\/a> who is committed to Wake Forest. He has been getting baseball advice from another Spartans alumnus: 10-year major-leaguer Jason Kipnis. Bass participated in the MLB combine in Phoenix after helping to lead the Spartans to the Class 4A sectional finals. In his senior season, he slashed .449\/.642\/.878 with 12 home runs, 40 RBIs and 47 walks.<\/p>\n

\"GlenbrookGlenbrook North shortstop Ethan Bass runs back to the dugout during a game April 9, 2026, in Northbrook.\u00a0(Talia Sprague\/for the Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n

No. 89 Jack Slightom is a 6-5 right-handed pitcher whose fastball sat at 92 mph this spring for Lyons Township<\/a> \u2014 and that was after he led the Lions to the Class 8A football playoffs as their quarterback. He went 7-0 for the Lions this year with a 3.09 ERA and 87 strikeouts. He is committed to Cincinnati and spent some time playing with the Cincinnati Reds Midwest scout team.<\/p>\n

No. 105 Dylan Bowen, a shortstop from Hanover Central<\/a> (Ind.), was a first-team all-area selection by the Post-Tribune<\/a>. He batted .406 with five home runs, 29 RBIs, 40 runs scored and 24 stolen bases and was named to the all-conference team. His older brother, Drayk, plays football and briefly played baseball for Notre Dame. Bowen is committed to Oklahoma State but participated in the MLB combine.<\/p>\n

No. 112 Brendan Brock just won the College World Series with Oklahoma, where he split time starting at catcher and in the outfield. Before hitting .302 with 13 home runs for the Sooners this season, Brock spent three seasons at Southwestern Illinois College and became that school\u2019s career home runs leader (35). He was selected in the 14th round by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2025 draft but chose to transfer to Oklahoma instead of sign. Brock graduated from downstate Mascoutah.<\/p>\n

No. 124 Sean Dunlap, a catcher from Crown Point, Ind., was named the 2026 Post-Tribune Baseball Player of the Year<\/a>. He hit .473 with nine home runs, 45 RBIs, 32 runs scored and 15 stolen bases this past season. Dunlap is committed to Tennessee but also participated in the MLB combine.<\/p>\n

How have the recent White Sox and Cubs draft picks fared?
\n\"WhiteWhite Sox first baseman Jacob Gonzalez hits a game-winning single in the ninth inning against the Royals on June 27, 2026, at Rate Field. (Chris Sweda\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n

The Sox have seen several homegrown prospects make their major-league debuts this season as part of their rookie surge: 2024 fifth-round pick Sam Antonacci<\/a>, 2023 first-rounder Jacob Gonzalez<\/a> and 11th-rounder Rikuu Nishida,<\/a> and 2022 fifth-rounder Tyler Schweitzer<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Noah Schultz<\/a>, the 2022 first-round selection and an Oswego East alumnus, spent time on the IL with a knee injury but is 2-6 with a 6.00 ERA in 10 starts for the Sox since making his MLB debut in April.<\/p>\n

The 2024 first-round pick, Hagen Smith, appeared to be on the cusp of making his big-league debut when he was shut down in mid-June with a shoulder injury. Before that, he posted a 4.67 ERA in 14 starts with 77 strikeouts at Triple-A Charlotte this season.<\/p>\n

Last year\u2019s first-round pick, Billy Carlson<\/a>, is the No. 5 prospect in the Sox system per MLB Pipeline. The shortstop started the season with Single-A Kannapolis but went on the IL in late May with a fractured left thumb. Carlson was slashing .257\/.386\/.340 in 39 games before the injury.<\/p>\n

And 2025 second-round pick Jaden Fauske<\/a>, a Nazareth alumnus, is hitting well at Kannapolis. He\u2019s slashing .249\/.378\/.377 with 27 RBIs and 27 stolen bases. His triple on July 2 was his eighth, setting a club single-season record \u2014 with two months of games remaining.<\/p>\n

The Sox\u2019s current No. 1 prospect, Caleb Bonemer<\/a>, was a 2024 second-rounder out of a Michigan high school. The shortstop was the 2025 Carolina League MVP for his performance at Kannapolis. He opened the 2026 season with High-A Winston-Salem and\u00a0has a .262\/.385\/.431 slash line with two doubles, three home runs, 11 RBIs, eight runs and 13 walks in 18 games since being promoted to Birmingham on June 16.<\/p>\n

Bonemer is the Sox\u2019s lone selection<\/a> for the 2026 Futures Game, featuring minor-league prospects, which will take place at 11 a.m. Sunday at Citizens Bank Ballpark in Philadelphia. The Cubs will be represented by outfielder\/first baseman Josiah Hartshorn and right-hander Mason McGwire.<\/p>\n

Former Cubs shortstop Larry Bowa<\/a> will manage the American League in the Futures Game, while Shane Victorino will manage the National League.<\/p>\n

\"CubsCubs outfield prospect Josiah Hartshorn bats during spring training Feb. 28, 2026, in Mesa, Ariz. (Meghan Montemurro\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n

For the Cubs, Hartshorn has been a bright spot<\/a>. Drafted last year in the sixth round from a California high school, he\u2019s the team\u2019s No. 3 prospect per MLB Pipeline. He was bumped up to High-A South Bend at the end of April and continued his offensive tear, earning Midwest League Player of the Week in June. He has a .281\/.365\/.547 slash line with 10 home runs and 37 RBIs in South Bend.<\/p>\n

McGwire<\/a>, the son of former All-Star slugger Mark McGwire, was an eighth-round high school selection in the 2022 draft. He missed all of 2025 with an elbow injury but earned Carolina League Player of the Week honors in April at Single-A Myrtle Beach before joining South Bend in May. He\u2019s listed as the team\u2019s No. 30 prospect. He is 3-3 with a 2.94 ERA and 67 strikeouts in 52 innings pitched this season.<\/p>\n

Ethan Conrad<\/a>, the 2025 first-round pick, is with the rookie league team in Arizona and has seen limited game action while dealing with a back injury.<\/p>\n

But Kane Kepley<\/a>, last year\u2019s second-round pick, is making an impression as the leadoff hitter at South Bend. He is part of an offense that set a scoring record in May<\/a> and is considered the team\u2019s No. 6 prospect. He\u2019s slashing .258\/.431\/.413 with 27 extra-base hits, 41 RBIs and 40 stolen bases.<\/p>\n

In the \u201clong time coming\u201d category, 2021 sixth-round pick Riley Martin made his MLB debut<\/a> for the Cubs this season at 28. The Quincy University alumnus appeared in eight games, striking out 10 with a 2.16 ERA before landing on the IL with elbow inflammation.<\/p>\n

Hometown signee Ed Howard<\/a>, the Cubs\u2019 first-round pick out of Mount Carmel in the truncated 2020 draft, went on the IL in late April 2025. He appeared in 21 minor-league games last season but performed well in the Arizona Fall League. He started the 2026 season with Double-A Knoxville.<\/p>\n

Sources: MLB.com, MiLB.com, Baseball Reference, Associated Press, uclabruins.com, ukathletics.com, soonersports.com, lionnewspaper.com, thebaseballcube.com, Glenbrook North Baseball, playeroftheyear.gatorade.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Chicago White Sox have the No. 1 pick in the MLB draft for the first time in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":747214,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2399],"tags":[38386,5,138,24,49,4245,161,32492,92644,58458,92645,76630,4,256,92643,11366,29841,54483,22852],"class_list":["post-747213","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-chicago-cubs","tag-2026-mlb-draft","tag-baseball","tag-chicago","tag-chicago-cubs","tag-chicago-white-sox","tag-chicagocubs","tag-cubs","tag-draft-prospects","tag-ethan-bass","tag-grady-emerson","tag-jack-slightom","tag-landon-thome","tag-mlb","tag-mlb-baseball","tag-no-1-draft-pick","tag-roch-cholowsky","tag-tyler-bell","tag-vahn-lackey","tag-zion-rose"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116890113725131495","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/747213","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=747213"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/747213\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/747214"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=747213"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=747213"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=747213"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}