White Sox select UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky with 2026 first-overall pick
Chicago used its first-overall selection in the 2026 MLB draft to choose UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky, who is expected to sign below slot value and join a rebuilding White Sox roster that is already leading the AL Central.
Chicago’s White Sox chose UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky with the first overall pick in the 2026 MLB draft. The selection marks the club’s third overall No. 1 pick, following Harold Baines in 1977 and Danny Goodwin in 1971, and makes Cholowsky the second UCLA player ever taken first overall after Gerrit Cole in 2011.
Analysts had long projected Cholowsky as the top prospect, though other candidates such as high-school shortstop Grady Emerson and Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey were also mentioned. According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, Cholowsky is expected to sign for less than the $11,350,600 slot price, freeing money in Chicago’s $20,489,500 draft pool for additional signings.
The White Sox earned the lottery odds that allowed the pick after missing the lottery in the previous two drafts, a result of MLB’s rules that prevent teams from receiving lottery selections in three consecutive seasons. Their odds of winning the 2026 lottery were reported at 27.73%.
Cholowsky, ranked first by Baseball America, ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel and The Athletic’s Keith Law, is praised for his defensive range, strong arm and contact-oriented hitting. He enters the organization with three years of college experience and could reach the majors as early as 2027, potentially joining a White Sox team that currently sits atop the AL Central with a 48-45 record.
The club’s farm system already includes infield prospects such as Colson Montgomery, a 2021 first-round pick who has seen major-league action. With Montgomery in the majors and Cholowsky on the horizon, Chicago may consider trading a surplus infield prospect for veteran help before the August 3 trade deadline.
"Cholowsky has the glovework to easily stick and thrive at shortstop, and his strong throwing arm draws particular praise," noted analysts.
"At the plate, he makes strong contact and a 20-home-run floor is possible depending on how his raw power translates to the big leagues," they added.