The White Sox have taken UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky with the first overall pick of the 2026 draft. MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis reported the news about 20 minutes before the pick was officially announced, and The Athletic’s Keith Law wrote earlier today that the Sox seemed to be leaning towards Cholowsky.
This is the third time the White Sox have ever held the first overall pick, following their selections of Harold Baines in 1977 and Danny Goodwin in 1971. Cholowsky is also the second UCLA product to go first overall, following Gerrit Cole to the Pirates in the 2011 draft.
Cholowsky has been considered the favorite to go 1-1 for quite some time, though there was some late speculation that the White Sox could pivot to another top prospect like high school shortstop Grady Emerson (who the Rays took second overall) or Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey (who went third to the Twins). The Sox ended up making the chalk pick, though USA Today’s Bob Nightengale writes that Cholowsky has agreed to sign for less than the $11,350,600 slot price attached to the first overall selection. These savings could free up more money within Chicago’s $20,489,500 draft pool, and allow the White Sox to pursue some players who are seeking above-slot money to forego college commitments.
Despite finishing the 2024 season with a modern-record 121 losses, Chicago selected only tenth overall in 2025 — the rules prohibit all teams from getting a lottery pick in three straight seasons, plus the White Sox and other teams don’t receive revenue-sharing funds cannot receive a lottery pick in consecutive seasons. These same rules kept the 119-loss Rockies out of last December’s process, leaving the White Sox (who lost 102 in 2025) with the best odds of winning the draft lottery, at 27.73%.
The ping pong balls fell in the Southsiders’ favor, so the White Sox can now add Cholowsky to the core of young talent they’ve already accumulated via draft picks, international signings, and trades. What was expected to be a lengthy rebuild has surprisingly already started to show results, as Chicago sits atop the AL Central with a 48-45 record. Cholowsky already has three years of college ball under his belt and may not need too much time in the minors, so when he does arrive (perhaps as early as 2027), he could be joining a White Sox club that may be a full-fledged contender.
It should be noted that Chicago’s farm system already includes a pretty deep crop of infield prospects, plus Colson Montgomery (a first-round himself in 2021) has established himself as a solid regular over parts of two big league seasons. Teams virtually always draft the best player available rather than focusing on a specific positional need, plus shortstops can and usually are moved around the diamond since they’re athletic enough to handle multiple positions. The Sox can take their time in sifting through their minor league options, but with Montgomery in the majors and Cholowsky on the horizon, it could make the White Sox slightly more open to trading a lesser infield prospect for some win-now help…perhaps as early as the August 3 trade deadline.
Baseball America, ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel, and The Athletic’s Keith Law all ranked Cholowsky as the top prospect of the 2026 draft class, with MLB Pipeline placing him second (behind Emerson) and Fangraphs placing him third (behind Lackey and Emerson). The pundits all agree that Cholowsky has the glovework to easily stick and thrive at shortstop, with his strong throwing arm drawing particular praise amongst his defensive tools. At the plate, Cholowsky makes strong contact and a lot of it, and 20-homer production may be his floor depending on how well his raw power translates and develops against big league pitching.
