The Chicago White Sox are expected to select UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky with the first pick in the MLB Draft. Cholowsky boasts a 1.143 OPS and is considered a top prospect with 'Gold Glove potential'.
White Sox predicted to select 'Gold Glove potential' 1.143 OPS shortstop in MLB Draft originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Chicago White Sox have the first pick in this year's MLB Draft, and there appears to be an obvious choice.
It may not be as obvious as when the Pittsburgh Pirates selected Paul Skenes No. 1 overall from LSU, but the White Sox's best bet to land a special talent is theirs for the taking.
"UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky remains the undisputed top prospect in the class and overwhelming favorite to be the No. 1 pick, but there's a lot of fluidity behind him," Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter wrote Tuesday. "High school shortstop Grady Emerson, Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey, and UC Santa Barbara right-hander Jackson Flora are among the other top-tier names to know."
Cholowsky just turned 21 on April 7 and is lighting the college baseball world on fire at the plate. Through 35 games, he's hitting .336/.464/.679 with 13 home runs and a 1.143 OPS in 179 trips to the plate.
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"Barring a massive surprise, Cholowsky will be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 draft," Reuter added. "He checks all the boxes to be a face-of-the-franchise level talent at shortstop, with a 60-hit, 60-power offensive profile and Gold Glove potential defensively."
For the White Sox, a player of Cholowsky's caliber could reach the Major League level by the time they finish their rebuild. There's no guarantee he will graduate through the minors quickly, but the excitement level would continuously build on the South Side.
Roch Cholowsky is a UCLA shortstop known for his impressive performance, hitting .336 with a 1.143 OPS, making him the leading candidate for the first pick in the MLB Draft.
This season, Roch Cholowsky has a batting average of .336, an on-base percentage of .464, and has hit 13 home runs in 35 games.
Other top prospects include high school shortstop Grady Emerson, Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey, and UC Santa Barbara right-hander Jackson Flora.
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