MOCK DRAFT

Draft writer Carlos Collazo walks you through the first 30 picks

- By Carlos Collazo

Nothing is ever certain in the MLB Draft, especially more than a month out.

At the top of the board, a cluster of about six players should be drafted within the first 10 picks. After that, it’s anyone’s guess. A few observations:

• The industry has been disappointed with the performances of many of the top college hitters, lending an eye-of-the-beholder vibe.

• That could open the door for other profiles to land in the middle of the first round, including a deep crop of high school pitchers or sleeper prep hitters.

• The college arms shift weekly depending on performance and health, but that is the profile to bet on as the one most likely to surge up boards.

1 WHITE SOX

Roch Cholowsky
SS • UCLA

Industry buzz suggested that the White Sox may potentially be eying someone not named Roch Cholowsky. The No. 2 player in the class, Texas prep shortstop Grady Emerson, is the most popular alternative, though the White Sox have seemingly been scouting Florida prep shortstop Jacob Lombard heavily, as well. Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey could round out the group as the last serious name in play for the first pick.

When talking with sources throughout the industry, the Emerson rumors have been viewed in myriad ways, including: (1) pure smoke, (2) the White Sox doing their due diligence at the top, and (3) actually pretty likely.

I'm inclined to believe the second explanation. Cholowsky still feels like the favorite—he popped 21 home runs with a 1.116 OPS through 56 games heading into regionals—even if Emerson is also being seriously considered.

It could also be tricky for the White Sox to try to create huge savings with any player at this pick. That's because each of Cholowsky, Emerson and Lombard are represented by the same agency, The Team.

2 RAYS

Grady Emerson SS Fort Worth Christian HS (TX)