Roch Cholowsky to open career at High-A

Cholowsky had gone 6-for-36 with a homer and seven walks in nine games for High-A Winston Salem. He’ll probably return there for the start of next year, but he might be in Double-A before long.

Cholowsky receives a $10.35 million signing bonus, which represents a roughly $1 million under-slot deal, as the top-overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft. The 21-year-old was universally regarded as the most polished collegiate shortstop in at least a decade with a real chance to be above average both at the plate and in the field. From a fantasy standpoint, he projects as a strong contributor in the power department with enough hit tool projection to envision a respectable batting average. He won’t help at all in the stolen base department, which caps his realistic upside. Still, he’s a phenomenal prospect with a chance to bolster Chicago’s rapidly improving young nucleus as one of their future franchise cornerstones.

Cholowsky was one of the most productive hitters in college baseball in his time at UCLA, and finished his junior season with .320/.452/.686 slash along with 23 homers over 60 games with the Bruins. The 21-year-old has significant power from the right side, and while the hit tool projects slightly below his power, he makes enough hard contact with a solid approach to suggest he can hit for a solid average as well. The only thing Cholowsky isn’t projected to do offensively is steal bases, as he’s only swiped 14 bags in his three seasons in college. Despite that lack of speed he’s a terrific defender who does project to stick at shortstop. Cholowsky has tremendous upside, and he has a real chance to be the best player in the class.

No real surprises here. Emerson and Cholowsky are basically a coin flip for the top spot with some draft evaluators viewing Emerson as the favorite based on his age and natural hitting ability. He would probably be the top pick in most draft years. Cholowsky is regarded as the most polished collegiate shortstop in at least a decade with a real chance to be above average both at the plate and in the field. Lackey is an elite defensive catcher that also boasts upper echelon exit velocities and would represent the safest high-floor option. The White Sox will go on the clock at 1:00 EST on Saturday afternoon.