Cholowsky, 21, is the first college shortstop drafted first overall since Dansby Swanson in 2015
The Chicago White Sox have drafted who they hope will be their shortstop of the future by choosing UCLA’s Roch Cholowsky with the No. 1 pick in Saturday’s MLB Draft. Cholowsky was the consensus No. 1 draft prospect just about the entire spring. He hit .320/.452/.636 with 21 homers and as many walks as strikeouts (36 each) in 60 games for the Bruins this season.
MLB Pipeline says Cholowsky, 21, is “considered by some to be the best all-around college shortstop prospect since Troy Tulowitzki,” and adds his “tools and makeup make him look like the kind of player who could be big league ready in a hurry.” Cholowsky is the first college shortstop drafted within the top three picks since Dansby Swanson and Alex Bregman went 1-2 in 2015.
Here are three things to know about the newest member of the White Sox.
2026 MLB Draft tracker, results: Full list of 613 draft picks, analysis of every team’s first-round selection
Kate Feldman
1. Highest drafted UCLA player since 2011
Cholowsky is the first UCLA Bruin selected inside the top 15 picks since Gerrit Cole and Trevor Bauer were the No. 1 and 3 picks, respectively, in 2011. UCLA had four first-rounders from 2012-25: James Kaprielian (No. 16 in 2015), Michael Toglia (No. 23 in 2019), Garrett Mitchell (No. 20 in 2020), and Matt McLain (No. 17 in 2021).
Cholowsky is the highest drafted UCLA position player ever, beating out Troy Glaus (No. 3 in 1997).
2. Highest-ranked undrafted player in 2023
Coming out of his Arizona high school three years ago, Cholowsky was considered a top 50 prospect for the 2023 Draft, but he was not picked because he was strongly committed to UCLA and had a high price tag. MLB Pipeline ranked him as the 44th-best prospect for the 2023 Draft, one spot ahead of current Brewers shortstop Cooper Pratt. He was the highest-ranked prospect to go undrafted that year. Again, that was a money/college commitment issue, not a talent issue. Cholowsky has been highly regarded for years.
3. His father is a former player and current scout
Cholowsky’s father, Dan, was the No. 39 pick in the 1991 draft by the Cardinals. A utility guy who manned every position in pro ball (including pitcher and catcher), Dan Cholowsky played eight seasons in the minors from 1991-98, though he never reached MLB. After his playing days ended, he got into scouting, most notably with the Blue Jays. Cholowsky now covers the Southwest for the Reds. Roch Cholowsky grew up around the game and has good bloodlines, and it shows up in his instincts and baseball IQ.
