When the White Sox first landed the top overall selection in this year’s MLB Draft, fans began googling the name Roch Cholowsky en masse. The UCLA shortstop entered the spring as the consensus first overall pick, with many already penciling him into future White Sox lineup projections. As the college season hits its second half and draft day quickly approaches, new rumors have surfaced indicating that Cholowsky may not be the slam dunk pick many believed in February.
In his latest weekly column for USA Today, veteran reporter Bob Nightengale said the following regarding the top pick:
“The Chicago White Sox remain uncertain who they will draft with the No. 1 pick in just, and insist they have not committed to taking UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky, the consensus top player in the draft. It’s also unclear, several executives say, whether the White Sox are Cholowsky’s top preference.”
This line, of course, sent the White Sox fandom into a panic. It’s not the first indication that the White Sox pick isn’t fully decided either. Joe Doyle of Overslot Baseball recently reported that White Sox scouts have been heavily attending the games of prep prospects Grady Emerson and Jacob Lombard.
Recent rumors of the White Sox indecision are completely overblown
In my opinion, all of this noise is just noise. Roch Cholowsky entered the season as the clear favorite to be the top pick. His numbers are slightly down from last season, but it’s not enough to dramatically alter his stock. In 2025, Cholowsky hit .353 with 23 home runs and a 1.190 OPS in 66 games. So far in 2026, he’s hitting .325 with 17 home runs and a 1.146 OPS. His two-homer game on Sunday was ironic considering it's timing immediately after these reports. Cholowsky’s strike out rate is slightly higher and his walk rate is slightly lower, but his power and pure hitting ability remain among the best. Speed has never been a huge part of his game and nothing’s changed on that front, and he remains a more-than-capable defender at shortstop.
ROCH CHOLOWSKY HOMER!
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) April 26, 2026
MLB's No. 1 Draft prospect now has 16 dingers and 46 RBIs on the season for the Bruins.pic.twitter.com/o2zbhKLyhm
The White Sox selected a prep shortstop last season knowing he’d take several years to develop into a big league mainstay, and they’re nearing the point where they’d like to start competing for division titles. Taking another long-term developmental prospect at such a high pick is a massive risk and not one the team needs to take on right now. Cholowsky is a mature hitter who should reach the major leagues quickly and fits perfectly into the White Sox timeline. The son of an MLB scout, Cholowsky has the pedigree and background of a first overall pick, and I can’t see the White Sox passing on an opportunity like this for a riskier play.
Of course the White Sox aren’t going to reveal their intended pick in April. Giving away their plans removes all leverage the team has in negotiating. Whether the White Sox are Cholowsky’s first choice or not doesn’t really matter. MLB has a draft system for a reason. If players were allowed to just choose where they wanted to go, some teams would never have an opportunity to land top level talent.
Until July 11th comes along and the name read by Rob Manfred is not Roch Cholowsky, I have no reason to believe the White Sox have the intention to take anyone else. The opportunity to make the first overall selection doesn’t come along too often, so the White Sox absolutely have to get this one right.
The highest-rated shortstop prospect Troy Tulowitzki will be on the board and Chris Getz and the White Sox need to pull the trigger.
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