White Sox are big winners in MLB's draft lottery

Major league baseball hosted its 2026 draft lottery on Tuesday and it was arguably the most important day of the offseason for the Chicago White Sox. Despite the worst record in baseball in 2024, the White Sox couldn’t pick higher than 10th overall in the 2025 draft, and the team took California high school shortstop Billy Carlson in that slot. The White Sox were given a break this year, as the MLB-worst Colorado Rockies were ineligible for the lottery due to the same rules, giving the White Sox the highest odds to land the top pick. 

Well, the lottery has passed, and the pick is in. The White Sox will select first in the 2026 MLB draft. It’s a major victory for the south siders, who badly needed some good news to come their way. The Tampa Bay Rays will pick second, followed by the Minnesota Twins in third. The White Sox will get possibly the biggest boost possible to their farm system in July, and UCLA’s Roch Cholowsky is viewed as the heavy favorite to be the first overall pick. MLB Pipeline ranks Cholowsky as a 65 on the 20-80 scale. No other players in this draft class have been given a grade above 60. In their write up, they mention that some scouts view Cholowsky as the best all-around college shortstop since Troy Tulowitzki, who made five all-star games with the Colorado Rockies. 

MLB Pipeline grades Cholowsky, 20, with well above-average grades in hitting, power, fielding, and arm. He slugged 23 home runs as a sophomore at UCLA while posting an OPS of 1.190, demonstrating an ability to make contact, work at bats, and drive the ball all over the field. He’s not the fastest baserunning, but he has enough range and defensive sense that he should stick at shortstop. If the White Sox elect to move him, his bat should have no trouble playing at third base either. 

The White Sox drafted Billy Carlson last year knowing he’d take a few years to be big league ready. Cholowsky’s advanced approach and age make him a prime candidate to reach the majors quickly. A 2027 debut would not be out of the question, so he certainly fits into the White Sox competitive timeline. 

Cholowsky is one of several highly touted prospects in the 2026 draft

There’s a whole amateur season to be played prior to the 2026 draft, so there’s plenty of time for things to change, but Cholowsky is the early betting favorite to head to the South Side in July. High school shortstops Grady Emerson and Jacob Lombard are other names to watch, along with Alabama shortstop Justin Lebron. All four players are highly touted prospects that would’ve had a chance to go first overall in recent years. 

This draft class is viewed strongly overall, so it’s an excellent year to win the lottery. Whether it was divine intervention (thanks, Pope), or just pure dumb luck, today is a great day for the Chicago White Sox. With an infusion of young talent, and more on the way, the team is on the way up. 

For the first time in what feels like a few years, vibes are high at 35th and Shields.