Grading each White Sox pick from Day 1 of the 2026 MLB Draft

It’s been an exciting weekend of White Sox baseball. The White Sox have clinched a series win over the Athletics, and Munetaka Murakami and Tristan Peters have joined Miguel Vargas on the American League All-Star roster. But the most important development has been the addition of five players through the MLB Draft. With the picks at 1, 34, 41, 77, and 105 now in the books, let’s grade each of the White Sox first five picks in the 2026 MLB Draft. 

Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA- 1st overall pick

When the White Sox won the draft lottery back in December and earned the first overall pick in the draft, the assumption was that Roch Cholowsky would be the selection. In the months since, due diligence was done, and more names were added to the conversation. In the end, the White Sox went with Cholowsky, widely considered the best player in the class, and added him to the organization. The 21 year-old infielder plays excellent defense at shortstop, has immense power, and makes enough contact to garner 60 grades for both hit and power on MLB Pipeline. Cholowsky is a mature hitter that could begin his pro career in Winston-Salem in August and reach Chicago as early as 2027. He’s exactly the combination of floor and ceiling that the White Sox were looking for with the first overall pick, and I believe he was the ideal choice in their position

Grade: A+

Landon Thome, SS, Nazareth Academy (IL)- 34th overall pick 

The son of Hall-of-Fame slugger Jim Thome, Landon has been tied to the White Sox in rumors dating back to last season. The White Sox traded Jacob Gonzalez to Pittsburgh Friday night in an effort to bring in more bonus pool money and an extra draft pick in order to take Thome. From an offensive perspective, Thome looks like a solid all-around hitter, and he’ll likely develop more power as he ages and grows physically. The biggest questions are about his defense, as he’ll likely need to move away from shortstop at the pro level. With Jim Thome currently working in the White Sox organization, Thome will have a great support system as he develops as a hitter. The pick almost made too much sense for the White Sox, as they landed what they hope will be a future difference-maker.

Grade: B+

Cole Prosek, IF, Magnolia Heights HS (MS)- 41st overall pick

In the first surprise of the draft for the White Sox, the team tripled down on bats, landing slugging infielder Cole Prosek out of a Mississippi High School. Prosek ranked 27th on MLB Pipeline’s top draft prospects list and dropped to the White Sox at 41, so he’ll likely be an overslot deal for the team. Prosek is one of the most polished prep bats in the class, and he posted eye-popping numbers during his senior season with a .585 average and 18 home runs. The biggest drawbacks to his game are his below-average speed and questions about his defensive home. Prosek has dabbled as a catcher but is most likely to end up as a corner infielder as he progresses through the system. The White Sox could use pitching, but Prosek’s bat could be one of the highest-upside assets in the class, and it makes a ton of sense to gamble at this position. 

Grade: B+

Joey Volchko, RHP, Georgia- 77th overall pick 

The White Sox took their first pitcher of the draft with the 77th overall pick, landing Georgia right-hander Joey Volchko. Volchko began at Stanford before transferring to Georgia for his junior year, where he posted a 3.68 ERA in 18 starts with 119 strikeouts. The story with Volchko is a familiar tale for White Sox pitching targets: excellent stuff with issues locating it. For volchko, the fastball sits in the mid-90s and has touched triple digits, and his electric slider is his primary out pitch, but he has yet to find a third pitch that works for him. Volchko’s upside is obvious– he struck out 15 in a dominant outing against Texas in the College World Series– but if he can’t harness his offerings and find a third pitch, he’s in danger of becoming a reliever. Still, the White Sox needed arms, and it was hard to find an arm on the board with better stuff than Volchko. 

Grade: B+ 

Eric Segura, RHP, Oregon State- 105th overall pick 

At some point, it felt like the White Sox were going to need to save some money in the early rounds, and this seems to be where they’ll do it. Segura, a two-year starter at Oregon State, had an excellent 2.22 ERA during his junior year, but doesn’t overwhelm anyone with his pitch mix. Still he’ll likely be given an opportunity to start for the White Sox organization, and as the 196th-ranked prospect, they’ll likely be able to sign him to an underslot deal. It’s not a surprise that the White Sox went for arms in back-to-back rounds after starting the draft with three straight position players, and it remains possible that they can overslot a higher-upside prep arm with one of their later picks. The value isn’t necessarily there for Segura in this spot, but an underslot pick was necessary, and the White Sox will hope they can find some value in their later rounds. 

Grade: C

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