White Sox Take UCLA’s Roch Cholowsky With No. 1 Pick in 2026 MLB Draft – Why He Beat Out Grady Emerson

UCLA's Roch Cholowsky (Image: UCLA)

The Chicago White Sox selected UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky with the No. 1 overall pick in Saturday’s MLB Draft in Philadelphia, betting on a college bat many evaluators consider the best all-around shortstop prospect to come through the amateur ranks in years.

Cholowsky was the consensus top prospect for most of the spring. He hit .320/.452/.636 with 21 home runs and 36 walks against 36 strikeouts in 60 games for the Bruins, and MLB Pipeline has described him as arguably the best all-around college shortstop prospect since Troy Tulowitzki. He’s also the first college shortstop taken in the top three picks since Dansby Swanson and Alex Bregman went 1-2 in 2015.

Cholowsky was a Golden Spikes Award finalist this year and helped UCLA win 52 games, capture the Big Ten regular-season title and take the conference tournament crown.

The White Sox reportedly weighed Cholowsky against Texas high school shortstop Grady Emerson, who went second to Tampa Bay, but ultimately prioritized Cholowsky’s readiness — the belief internally is he could reach Chicago’s major league roster as soon as late 2027.

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General manager Chris Getz said the front office was most comfortable with Cholowsky regardless of bonus cost – his signing bonus is expected to land around $11.35 million, within a draft that could be the last of its current format amid rumored rule changes.

Personal ties to the organization appear to have played a role. Cholowsky visited Chicago for three days in June after UCLA’s season ended, watching rookie Braden Montgomery hit a walk-off home run in his major league debut. He told reporters after the pick that joining a contending team was a big part of the appeal, given the White Sox currently share the AL Central lead with Cleveland.

Cholowsky, 21, played third base as a freshman before shifting to shortstop and said he wants to keep developing at the position long term. He joins a White Sox farm system already stacked at shortstop, including top prospect Caleb Bonemer, 2025 first-rounder Billy Carlson, and major leaguer Colson Montgomery, currently fourth in the AL with 23 home runs — a depth chart the organization will eventually have to sort out.

Cholowsky’s father, Dan, was a 39th overall pick by the Cardinals in 1991 and played eight minor league seasons without reaching the majors.