Throughout this entire draft cycle, the consensus No. 1 and No. 2 players in the 2026 class have been UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky and Texas prep shortstop Grady Emerson. Cholowsky, the top college prospect, has been the presumptive No. 1 pick. Emerson, the top high schooler, has been the presumptive No. 2 pick.
Neither of them did anything to change those views. Cholowsky had a fantastic junior year, batting .320/.452/.636 with 21 homers in 60 games. Emerson joined Cholowsky as a semi-finalist for the Golden Spikes Award given to the country's top amateur, a rarity for a non-college player. They're extremely good prospects.