Overview
- Multiple scouting reports and rankings now place UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky atop the 2026 class and view him as the favorite to be chosen first overall by the Chicago White Sox.
- Cholowsky posted a .330 batting average with a 1.149 OPS, 21 home runs, 59 RBIs and 70 runs in 54 games during the 2026 season, numbers that underpin his rise.
- Scouts laud his smooth swing mechanics, elite plate discipline and defensive instincts, and they see him as athletic enough to stick at shortstop long term.
- His standing follows a breakout sophomore year when he hit for a 1.190 OPS with 23 homers, and his sustained production this season has reduced typical draft uncertainty.
- The 2026 class is deep but uneven, with college pitching judged a relative weak spot, which increases the value of a polished college shortstop and gives the White Sox a key decision to make at the July draft in Philadelphia.