The 2026 MLB Draft kicked off Saturday in Philadelphia as part of All-Star Weekend, and the Chicago White Sox wasted no time making the pick nearly everyone saw coming.

No. 1: Chicago White Sox Take Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA

Cholowsky had been the presumed top pick for nearly a year, and he did nothing this spring to change that. The UCLA shortstop slashed .320/.452/.636 with 21 home runs and 60 RBI, helping the Bruins win 52 games, capture the Big Ten regular-season title and win the conference tournament. He was a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award, given annually to the top amateur player in the country. Cholowsky becomes just the third college shortstop ever taken first overall, joining Bill Almon in 1974 and Dansby Swanson in 2015. It's the third time in franchise history the White Sox have held the No. 1 pick, and it comes attached to a talented young roster that currently sits atop the AL Central.

No. 2: Tampa Bay Rays Take Grady Emerson, SS, Fort Worth Christian HS (Texas)

Emerson has been considered the top prep prospect in this class for years, and the Rays stayed true to a pattern here, having taken a prep shortstop in the top two rounds in each of the last three drafts. The 6-foot-2 left-handed hitter projects as above average or better across the board, and at just 17 years old, there's still real room for his tools to sharpen further.

No. 3: Minnesota Twins Take Vahn Lackey, C, Georgia Tech

Lackey put together one of the most productive seasons of any catcher in college baseball, hitting .397 with 20 home runs, 78 RBI and 15 stolen bases while walking more than he struck out. He helped Georgia Tech repeat as ACC regular-season champions and win the conference tournament for the first time. At 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds, evaluators see a catcher with excellent all-around ability who should continue developing power as he adds strength.

No. 4: San Francisco Giants Take Jackson Flora, RHP, UC Santa Barbara

The Giants went with a college arm to round out the top four, continuing a recent trend of prioritizing polished college talent early in the draft. Flora gives San Francisco a pitcher evaluators believe can move relatively quickly through the minor league system.

No. 5: Pittsburgh Pirates Take Derek Curiel, OF, LSU

Pittsburgh closed out the top five with an outfielder out of LSU, adding another college bat to a farm system that's been retooling in recent years. The Pirates entered the draft with the largest bonus pool of any team at just over $19.1 million, giving them added flexibility across their four picks in the draft's first 51 selections.

How the Rest of the Weekend Works

Saturday's session covered the first four rounds, 135 total picks, broadcast across NBC and MLB Network. The remaining 16 rounds, and the rest of the 613 total players who will hear their names called this year, wrap up Sunday, streamed on MLB.com, MLB.TV and MLB+.

Bonus pools played a bigger role than usual in shaping the top of this class. Pittsburgh led all teams at roughly $19.1 million, with Tampa Bay, Chicago's White Sox, San Francisco and Minnesota rounding out the top five. Those numbers matter almost as much as draft position itself, since teams often use extra pool space to go over-slot on a prep player who might have otherwise landed in the first round.

For all 30 teams, this weekend represents the same thing it does every July: a chance to restock the pipeline with players who won't move the needle for years, but who might end up being exactly what a franchise needs down the road. Every team picking outside the top five is hoping their guy ends up being the steal of the class.