Tomorrow is July 1st, meaning we are less than two weeks from the 2026 MLB draft. For the White Sox, it’s been a day circled on the calendar since the team first landed the top overall selection back in December. What was originally thought to be a slam dunk selection of UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky has been opened up to more debate in recent weeks, and the buzz that the White Sox may go a different direction has only gotten louder as the draft has gotten closer.
At first, it seemed like Texas prep shortstop Grady Emerson was the likely pivot. A highly-talented bat, Emerson is viewed by many as having the highest upside of any player in the class. But a third name has been thrown around in projections lately, and his fit is a bit more curious.
Why Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey could be the first overall pick
Vahn Lackey wasn’t a highly-touted prospect during his high school days, or even during his freshman year at Georgia Tech. He showed signs of development during his sophomore season in 2025, hitting .347 but only hitting six home runs. Lackey also showed more speed than most catchers, stealing 18 bases that year. 2026 is where he put it all together. Lackey took his one weakness (power), and turned it into a strength, hitting 20 home runs this season and rocketing up draft boards into the top five. There’s no denying his 2026 season was excellent, but he doesn’t have the track record of success that Cholowsky and Emerson have.
Vahn Lackey 🤯
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 23, 2026
MLB's No. 3 Draft prospect goes yard for the 3rd time in his past 5 at-bats for @GTBaseball!pic.twitter.com/7pHBjeGdQ5
A catcher isn’t exactly on top of the White Sox list of organizational needs. Kyle Teel and Edgar Quero provide what the team believes is a good young core at the position, and the White Sox have young catching prospects Landon Hodge and Fernando Graterol, who they’re also high on, in the organization. But it’s tough to ignore the success rate of college catchers in the top ten. According to Baseball America, there were ten catchers selected in the first round from 2012-2020. All of them made it to the big leagues and three of them have produced more than 10 career WAR. That’s not perfect by any means but it’s significantly better than the success rate at most positions.
Best case scenario, Lackey’s 2026 is a step forward and just the beginning of his development. Worst case scenario, he had an outlier season at the right time and he’ll go back to being the defense-first player he’s been for most of his collegiate career. The White Sox need to ask themselves what their priority is with the first overall pick. If the team is looking for the most likely player to be a big league player because of the positional success rate, Lackey might be the move. But if the White Sox truly want to find the best player in the 2026 class with the first overall pick, they may need to take a bit of a risk.
The White Sox have overhauled their player development system in recent seasons, and they’ve emphasized how good they feel about the processes they’ve put in place. They shouldn’t be afraid to draft someone they’ll need to develop. The first overall pick is a crucial opportunity that will alter the course of the franchise, and the White Sox need to make sure they get this one right. I feel pretty confident saying the decision is down to three players. We’ll know the answer in just a couple weeks.
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