The number of days until the 2026 MLB draft is down to single digits, and the anticipation on the south side of Chicago is palpable. The White Sox haven’t picked first overall in nearly 50 years, and there’s a ton of pressure on the team’s front office to get this one right. For the most part, the rumors surrounding the White Sox draft choice have centered on three players: UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky, Texas prep shortstop Grady Emerson, and Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey. The primary question has centered on whether the White Sox value floor, ceiling, or financial savings. But ESPN’s Jeff Passan threw another name into the mix this week, suggesting the White Sox could use the first round pick to save money and fill a pressing organizational need.
“When the Chicago White Sox won the draft lottery in December, there was near-unanimous agreement they would use the No. 1 overall pick on UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky. And white the consensus is still that that will be the case, Chicago continues to weigh its options. Texas high school shortstop Grady Emerson is the next-best bet. Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey, who along with Cholowsky and Emerson comprises the clear top three on most draft boards, is another possibility. And the White Sox could cut a deal with another player – UCSB right-hander Jackson Flora?-- below the $11.25 million slot value and use the savings to float a hard-to-sign player or two to a later pick”
I’m not suggesting this is a legitimate option for the White Sox, and it certainly feels more like speculation than sourced info from Passan, but a pivot like this isn’t unheard of. Nearly every mock draft in 2023 had the Pittsburgh Pirates taking Dylan Crews or Wyatt Langford with the first overall pick. Just days before the draft, reports started coming in that LSU right-hander Paul Skenes was a real possibility. We all know what happened there. And I don’t think the Pirates regret that pick whatsoever.
The case for Jackson Flora as the first overall pick
Jackson Flora, 21, is a California native who posted an eye-popping 1.06 ERA during his junior season at UC Santa Barbara. The 6’5 right-hander has a starter’s frame and struck out 133 hitters in 102 innings this season. He features a standard fastball-slider-changeup arsenal with his fastball already sitting 97 and touching triple-digits as a 21-year-old. His changeup is a kick change, a pitch that White Sox pitching director Brian Bannister has developed in Logan Webb, Davis Martin, and others. Unlike most pitchers with plus stuff, control normally isn’t an issue for Flora, and his biggest developmental need will be adding some extra life to his offspeed pitches. His dominant season will likely make it two years in a row that a pitcher from UCSB was taken in the top five of the draft after the Angels selected Flora’s teammate Tyler Bremner with the second overall pick in 2025.
Jackson Flora, 95mph Fastball (called strike) and 83mph Breaking Ball (sword K), Individual Pitches + Overlay pic.twitter.com/O0dkNXusht
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 30, 2026
The White Sox shouldn’t be drafting for team needs with the first overall pick, but there’s no doubt the organization could use a right-handed starter with big stuff. Flora should be a quick riser and could fit the White Sox timeline. If they truly believe he can be an impact starting pitcher in the next couple years, they could consider it. Drafting him would save enough money that they’d almost certainly be able to float another first-round talent to the second round and pay them overslot, so they could land two or even three top talents. But I’d caution the White Sox to look at 2024 before making such a decision. Hagen Smith was seen as an advanced, safe pick, and he’s struggled with his control and has yet to make his big league debut.
I don’t know whether or not Jackson Flora is a serious option for the White Sox, but there’s a logical reason to go several different routes next Sunday, and it’s only making the decision for Chris Getz, Mike Shirley, and company even more difficult. The White Sox have to get this one right. And that means every option should be on the table.
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