White Sox 2026 MLB Draft Notebook 4.0
Screenshot
The White Sox will kick off the 2026 Major League Baseball Draft in Philadelphia on the weekend before the All Star game this July. This will be the fifth draft for the White Sox under the current rules and the second one under the revamped, two-day format. The draft is 20 rounds and the Chicago White Sox were awarded the #1 overall pick via the draft lottery. This will be Mike Shirley’s 7th draft in his role as Director of Amateur Scouting for the club. The organization has selected Garrett Crochet, Colson Montgomery, Noah Schultz, Jacob Gonzalez, Hagen Smith and Billy Carlson with first rounders in that time. Draft Notebook 3.0 can be read here.
Can the White Sox Acquire a Competitive Balance Pick in the 2026 Draft?
Picks can’t be traded in the Major League Baseball Draft. Well, unless they’re awarded for competitive balance. Recently, the San Francisco Giants acquired the #29 overall overall pick in July’s draft from the Cleveland Guardians in exchange for catcher Patrick Bailey. Cleveland received one of the best defensive catchers in baseball while the Giants decided to add more than $3 million to their bonus pool.
The White Sox acquired a competitive balance pick in 2024 and they used the selection to draft prep left-handed pitcher Blake Larson. Their scouts will tell you that they’re always lobbying for more picks and Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline reported last month that the Pale Hose wanted to acquire an extra selection in order to secure Nazareth Academy’s Landon Thome.
Regardless of the target; landing another pick would be a boon for the club with the top overall selection because they only have the fourth highest bonus pool. An extra pick would allow the White Sox to draft another high school player in all likelihood. Acquiring the theoretical pick doesn’t appear to be achievable however.
The Kansas City Royals have the 30th pick in the draft. The Arizona Diamondbacks and St. Louis Cardinals possess the selections at #31 and #32. None of those teams seem particularly inclined to trade a draft pick. The Tampa Bay Rays acquired the #33 overall pick from the Orioles in the Shane Baz exchange. Picks can’t be traded more than once.
The Pittsburgh Pirates and Colorado Rockies have choices at #34 and #37 respectively. It doesn’t seem like either of those clubs is likely to trade draft capital at this point either. In regards to the competitive balance B picks, Boston and St. Louis hold three selections and none of them can be traded a second time.
The Detroit Tigers have the 69th pick while the Cincinnati Reds and Miami Marlins have picks #70 and #71 respectively. The Athletics pick at #73 and the Minnesota Twins have been rewarded with the 74th overall selection.
The White Sox aren’t afraid to draft high school players but the clubs who typically select the most preps also have extra selections throughout the draft. As a large market club, the White Sox don’t have that luxury unless they acquire an extra selection. One of the most exciting demographics in this class is the high school pitching. There could be a multitude of options available after the first round as well.
Potential Prep Arms for the White Sox
Coleman Borthwick, RHP, South Walton HS (FL)
The White Sox have seen this big righty from the Florida panhandle quite a bit and they’ve been tied to him by draft analysts. It seems unlikely that he’d make it to pick #41 at this point though. The 6-6, 245 pounder is a two-way player with loads of showcase success. Borthwick ranks at #35 overall at MLB Pipeline with the size, pitch mix and makeup to forecast near the top of a future rotation.
He throws his fatsball in the upper 90’s with a 84-85 mph slider that flashes plus as well. Borthwick is an athlete with a sound delivery and the high ceiling righty is committed to Auburn. Baseball America lists him as the #30 overall prospect in the 2026 class.
Blake Bryant, RHP, Citizens Christian Academy (GA)
The 6-6, 182 pound righty has lots of helium at this stage of the draft process. The #61 overall prospect at MLB Pipeline shows good arm speed with a fastball up to 96 mph. Bryant is athletic but can add significant weight to his frame and likely has more velocity coming in the future. The Clemson commit likely throws in the upper 90’s soon with an 80-84 mph slider with spin. He also throws a mid 80’s changeup. Bryant possesses mid-rotation upside and also ranks #51 overall in the class at Baseball America.
Joseph Contreras, RHP, Blessed Trinity HS (GA)
The 18-year-old is young for the draft class and he’s the son of White Sox’s World Series hero Jose Contreras. The 6-4, 205 pounder possesses a high ceiling with a 92-95 mph fastball that has touched 98. There’s a forkball in the four pitch mix as well. The Vanderbilt commit is ranked as the #55 overall player for Baseball America and #57 for MLB Pipeline. The right hander must improve his command and add weight while he has short extension and some reliever risk as well.
Jensen Hirschkorn, RHP, Kingsbury HS (CA)
Hirschkorn is a 6-7, 205 pound righty from Northern California. The #36 overall prospect at Baseball America oozes size, athleticism and projection and he was stellar during some high profile showcase events. He’s an athletic right hander with a three pitch mix highlighted by a mid 90’s fastball. The basketball player also has a mid 80’s changeup and low 80’s slider that misses bats as well. The 18-year-old is the #50 overall prospect for MLB Pipeline. He’s committed to LSU.
Logan Schmidt, LHP, Ganesha HS (CA)
Schmidt is a 17-year-old who reclassified into the 2026 draft out of California. The LSU commit is a 6-4, 215 pound southpaw who throws from a three-quarter slot. Schmidt repeats his delivery consistently with advanced feel and a three pitch mix. The fastball is already up to 97 mph. He’s ranked as the #30 overall player in the class for Baseball America and #43 at MLB Pipeline. The southpaw shows a slurvy breaking ball as his top secondary with the potential for an above-average changeup as well.
Five Round Mock Draft: Chicago White Sox
In the previous iteration of the five round mock draft, I focused on college starting pitcher in the second round along with three Midwestern preps. This version will be a bit different to show the multitude of options that the White Sox might have strategically with their allotted bonus pool. Nazareth’s Landon Thome appears to be a bit of a priority for the club at this point but he won’t be slotted in this version.
Chicago White Sox-R1 (1st overall): Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA
While Roch Cholowsky isn’t reportedly the lock that he appeared to be in this spot, I still find it incredibly hard to believe that Chris Getz will take anyone else once forced to make an actual selection. Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey, Texas prep Grady Emerson and Florida prep Jacob Lombard are the other options in this spot. Cholowsky’s season is over and the debate will rage on while he’s no longer playing.
Chris Getz and Mike Shirley were in primary roles with the club back in 2023 when they “expressed real interest” in signing Cholowsky out of an Arizona high school. While the shortstop didn’t have the finish to the year that was expected, he still projects as a player with major upside and a hight floor at a premium position with a quick trajectory to the majors.
Chicago White Sox-R2 (41st overall): Carter Beck, CF, Indiana State
Beck has some late helium in in the process; especially from model teams. The 6-0, 190 pounder could potentially stay in center field and starred for Indiana State over the past two seasons. Originally from Carnduff, Saskatchewan in Canada, the outfielder played a bunch of different sports. He played hockey, track and field and volleyball in addition to baseball.
The 21-year-old has premium contact skills and some power as well as he hit 16 homers on the season; tallying 39 for his college career. Beck is also a plus runner who rarely swings and misses and he slashed .346/.446/.637 with 33 strikeouts and 35 walks in 57 games last year.
Chicago White Sox-R3 (77th overall): Jack Slightom, RHP, Lyons Township HS (IL)
Slightom starred as the quarterback on the Lyons Township High School football team but he’s really burst onto the scene this spring as a pitcher. The 6-4, 200 pounder is a Cincinnati commit but isn’t likely to make it to campus at this point. The 18-year-old touched 95 mph at the World Wood Bat event last year but he’s running his heater up to 98 mph this spring.
The fastball shows carry and armside run and Slightom also throws an inconsistent slider that flashes plus with spin characteristics. He throws out of a low arm slot with deception and there’s a changeup in the mix as well. There’s a strong recent history of Illinois prep arms going in the top 100 picks and this righty looks like a hurler with a future upper 90’s fatsball and plus slider. High level decision makers for the White Sox and other clubs have flocked to La Grange, Illinois this spring.
Chicago White Sox-R4 (105th overall): Brendan Brock, Catcher, Oklahoma
Brendan Brock is a Mascoutah, Illinois native who previously played at Southwestern Illinois Community College and chose not to sign with the Milwaukee Brewers as a 14th rounder in 2025. The right-handed hitter hit .462/.565/.870 with 20 homers and 20 stolen bases. After transferring to Oklahoma, Brock slashed .287/.376/.511 with 12 homers and 26 stolen bases despite some struggles in SEC play.
The 6-3, 200 pounder plays catcher for Oklahoma but has played in the outfield as well. He’s a 70-grade runner with plus arm strength and power as well. Brock has dispalyed a pateint approach with a compact swing and he has always done damage against fastballs. While it’s a bit of an unorthodox profile for a catcher, center field could be a possibilty down the road as well.
Chicago White Sox-R5 (137th overall): Jace Mataczynski, SS, Hudson HS (WI)
Jace Mataczynski is the 98th overall player in the class for Baseball America and he would be signing for significantly overslot in this spot. The shortstop is committed to Auburn and he’s a premium athlete with twitchiness and tools. The right-handed hitter showed some prowess during showcase events as well.
The White Sox are extremely plugged into the midwest and know the Hudson, Wisconsin product well. Mataczynski barrells the ball with impact and has the potential for above-average power in the future. The 6-3, 200 pounder has potential plus tools regarding speed, arm strength and fielding. The prep infielder is an athletic mover but he’ll need some swing refinement in professional baseball.
