The 2026 MLB draft lottery was kinder to the Chicago White Sox than the previous editions, as they were awarded the No. 1 overall pick. A number of benefits come with this draft pick. The White Sox will carry additional pool money to target prep players in the second and later rounds. But more importantly, the White Sox will get a chance to add another talented hitter into their prospect pipeline, and while more draft prospects could emerge when the prep and college seasons commence in the spring, there's already a clear-cut top two with UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky or Texas high schooler Grady Emerson.
Roch Cholowsky Most Hyped College Hitter Since Dylan Crews
Last year, Cholowsky helped lead UCLA to the College World Series by hitting .353/.480/.710 with 23 home runs and 74 RBIs. Pair the outstanding production with his excellent defense, and Cholowsky won Big Ten Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year honors. Both Baseball America and D1Baseball.com named Cholowsky their 2025 Player of the Year, and I gave Cholowsky my first-place vote for the Dick Howser award (which Alex Lodise ultimately won). Entering 2026, Cholowsky is the overwhelming preseason favorite for both the Dick Howser and Golden Spikes awards.
He’s the most hyped college hitter since Dylan Crews, so much so that White Sox scouting director Mike Shirley was asked about Chowlowsky by name as team officials took a victory lap in the lottery room at the Signia Hilton on Tuesday.
"Roch’s a good player. Roch does a lot. He’s earned that right to be on that leaderboard, if that’s what you want to call it," Shirley said, who went on to say that he'll have to maintain his level next season.
"We spent a lot of time on him in high school. Felt like he was worthy of being a high-end pick. We know the kid, know the family, some of that work is done. But like I said, there’s multiple players across this great country that are going to answer that bell and try to get their place in line along with Roch. That’s the best thing about the draft, right? You want the players competing for that top spot."
Offensively, Cholowsky punishes opposing pitchers who test him with heaters in the lower part of the zone. Watching his highlight reel, a lot of the home runs Cholowsky crushed were located at belt high or lower in the zone. He loads up with a leg kick that drops his hands, allowing him to get a great attack angle with the barrel out in front of home plate. If Cholowsky has a weakness facing college pitching, it’s that at times he can get jammed on the inner half and can get beat upstairs. Those might be two areas that MLB draft scouts would highlight as opportunities for improvement in his professional development.
Even though Cholowsky has a bigger body frame, he displays excellent range playing shortstop, especially chasing down fly balls in the shallow outfield. A number of times during the 2025 season, Cholowsky pulled off Willie Mays-style over-the-shoulder catches. His lateral movement is good, especially moving to his left, covering the hole over second base. I haven’t seen many defensive flaws in Cholowsky’s game while watching last year's film. This is a rare combination of an excellent college hitter and defender, which is why Cholowsky is often considered the best draft prospect overall.
If one is looking for a reason to doubt Cholowsky, look at how his 2025 season ended. During the postseason, Cholowsky had no extra-base hits even though he went 8-for-23 in Regionals and Super Regionals. Cholowsky then struggled in Omaha, going 1-for-12 against Murray State, LSU, and Arkansas in the College World Series. Strikeouts weren’t a concern as Cholowsky only got punched out twice during the entire postseason. It was just that UCLA’s best power hitter suddenly became mortal. Then with Team USA, albeit in a small sample size, Cholowsky was 1-for-17, striking out nine times to one walk. That one hit was a home run, but Cholowsky ended an impressive 2025 campaign in a slump.
This raises questions about whether Cholowsky’s 2025 numbers were boosted by feasting on Big Ten pitching, which is a step down from the arm talent we see in SEC or ACC play. Cholowsky will get a chance early in 2026 to erase those doubts, as UCLA will participate in the Amegy Bank Classic in Arlington, Texas, and play Tennessee, Texas A&M, and Mississippi State in late February.
Grady Emerson Stands Out In Deep Pool of Prep Shortstops
We have seen a run of talented prep shortstops in the last two draft classes -- especially last year, when five went in the first 10 picks, with the White Sox taking Billy Carlson. You’ll hear a lot about Jacob Lombard, who is the younger brother of George Lombard Jr. Just like his older brother, Lombard has terrific athleticism and might be the best defensive prep shortstop in the class. Tyler Spangler is a left-handed-hitting shortstop out of De La Salle, California, who will garner top-10 attention all spring.
While Lombard and Spangler are talented, it’s Grady Emerson from Argyle, Texas, who stands out the most. Batting left-handed, Emerson has a more contact, line-drive approach to hitting, consistently barreling up pitches with an average bat speed of 73 mph during Perfect Game showcases. In the batting-practice film, Emerson has a wide base and a small leg kick to help generate pull-side power. Many give Emerson a 60-grade for contact already, thinking he can develop more in-game power. Some of that slugging potential flashed during the high school home run derby, when Emerson hit 13 home runs at Truist Park.
Clocking in with a 6.36 60-yard dash last July, Emerson has plus speed and threw 92 MPH in infield drills. That combination of athleticism and throwing strength shows out in his defensive film. While he’s not as smooth as Carlson, there’s little doubt that Emerson will stick on the left side of the infield.
One edge Emerson will have over Cholowsky is age, and this point is increasingly important for the White Sox, who are becoming more aggressive in scouting prep players. It's the same thought process that motivates most teams to invest resources internationally: With a better development structure, MLB teams can allow teenagers to properly develop at multiple levels in the minor leagues and still hope they can reach the majors before age 23. That’s obviously not the same for college hitters. Cholowsky will be 21 on draft day, and if the White Sox want to take advantage of his 23-to-29 age range, they would need to be quite aggressive in their development plan.
The fun part is watching how Cholowsky and Emerson develop in the spring. Sox Machine's weekly coverage following the 2026 MLB Draft will begin around Valentine's Day. If both have as excellent a season as everyone in the industry expects, it’ll be a fun for White Sox fans to get hyped for the MLB draft, knowing that they will come away with one of the best prospects in this class, and with some extra pool money to potentially entice another first-round talent to sign with them in the second round. It’s a great time for Chris Getz and his staff to continue rebuilding the prospect pipeline. Maybe one day soon it’ll translate to winning baseball at the major league level.
