The White Sox got the most exciting news they’ve had in years on Tuesday evening, as the team won MLB’s draft lottery and earned the first overall pick in the 2026 MLB draft. It’s been nearly 50 years since the White Sox picked this high and it’ll be a unique opportunity to add a top player to an already-promising farm system. With the draft on the minds of Sox fans everywhere, let’s take a look at the five highest draft picks in White Sox history and whether or not they panned out.
1971- White Sox select 1B Danny Goodwin with the 1st overall pick
The White Sox used the first overall pick on Peoria, Illinois native Danny Goodwin back in 2025. Goodwin made history as the first number one draft pick in baseball history to elect not to sign. Goodwin was offered a signing bonus between $50k and $80k, but chose to honor his college commitment to Southern University instead. Four years later, Goodwin made history again as the first player to be drafted first overall twice when the California Angels took him with the first pick in the 1975 draft. Goodwin would go on to play seven seasons in major league baseball, but never played more than 59 games in a season or lived up to top draft pick level expectations. Goodwin’s best season came in 1979 with the Twins, where he hit .289 with five home runs in 58 games. Safe to say Goodwin was a top pick that didn’t materialize for the White Sox.
1977- White Sox select OF Harold Baines with the 1st overall pick
The White Sox first overall pick in 2026 will be their first top pick since the team took Harold Baines in 1977. Baines went on to play 22 seasons in major league baseball, including parts of 14 with the White Sox. Harold Baines is a six-time all-star, finishing his career with 384 home runs, a .289 batting average, and a 121 career OPS+. He was, somewhat controversially, elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the Today’s Game Era Committee in 2019, making him just the fourth top overall draft pick to be elected to the Hall. Baines never had a season with overwhelming numbers, but he was a model of consistency for many years in the major leagues. Almost every season of his career featured a .285-.300 batting average with 15-25 home runs. There’s no question that Harold’s White Sox career was a success.
No. 1️⃣ pic.twitter.com/ruAO4W14G2
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) December 10, 2025
1969- White Sox select OF Ted Nicholson with the 3rd overall pick.
The White Sox have never had the second overall pick in franchise history, but they’ve had third overall a handful of times. The first time was in 1969, when the team selected OF Ted Nicholson. Nicholson played a few seasons in the minor leagues but never made it above A Ball. Overall, he hit just 12 minor league home runs before calling it a career. For as high as he was drafted, Nicholson was undoubtedly one of the biggest busts in White Sox draft history.
2014- White Sox select LHP Carlos Rodon with the 3rd overall pick
When the White Sox selected NC State lefty Carlos Rodon with the third pick in 2014, fans envisioned an ace alongside incumbent Chris Sale for years to come. It took Rodon a bit to get going as he struggled with health issues and command, but he emerged in 2021 as a true frontline starter. Rodon made the all-star game and posted a 2.37 ERA for the AL Central-champion White Sox. The White Sox made the puzzling decision to let Rodon walk with no qualifying offer, and he headed to San Francisco, where he made his second-consecutive all-star appearance. Rodon signed a large free-agent deal with the Yankees and struggled in his first season before rebounding in 2024 and 2025. He looks primed to continue a strong run in the Yankees rotation. Had the White Sox made a different decision, Rodon could be considered an excellent pick third overall, but his impact on the White Sox was less than it could’ve been.
2019- White Sox select 1B Andrew Vaughn with the 3rd overall pick
The White Sox drafted Andrew Vaughn third overall as a player they believed would progress quickly and make a major league impact soon. Nobody planned for the 2020 season, which was shortened due to COVID-19, and the White Sox were forced to adapt. Vaughn never played above High-A before being added to the Opening Day roster in the outfield in 2021. Vaughn’s results over his first few seasons were serviceable, though uninspiring. The White Sox expected steps forward from Vaughn as his career progressed, but his development seemed to stagnate, perhaps hampered by playing out of position early in his career. After a career-worst beginning to 2025, the White Sox sent Vaughn to Triple-A Charlotte before ultimately dealing him to Milwaukee for Aaron Civale. Vaughn had an excellent end to the season, posting an OPS of .869 in 64 games with Milwaukee down the stretch. Whether he will continue that production in 2026 remains to be seen, but there’s no doubt that it didn’t work out for the White Sox.
With the White Sox set to pick first overall and UCLA’s Roch Cholowksy the heavy favorite to be the pick, the team certainly seems set up to get better results than they have picking high in the past. But in baseball, nothing is guaranteed, so only time will tell.