2026 MLB Draft Report: Roch Cholowsky cements No. 1 prospect status

Typically with MLB Draft Reports, I finish them with a look at the upcoming games I'll be watching from afar. But starting on Friday will be the third and final weekend of the Amergy Bank College Baseball Series held at Globe Life Field, featuring No. 2 UCLA and Roch Cholowsky. Thanks to our Sox Machine subscribers, I will be covering this tournament in person, and will bring back all the interviews and visual media I can record.

Being in Arlington will not only help get an in-person look at Cholowsky, the front-runner for the White Sox's selection with the No. 1 overall pick, but it will also provide an opportunity to learn more about potential later-round targets in the upcoming draft. It also so happens that Grady Emerson, the best prep player in this class, will be playing in a tournament in Frisco, Texas. Traveling 45 minutes north to watch Emerson will be a worthy detour.

Hopefully, this upcoming weekend’s action is just as good as the one we saw recently, because it just wasn’t Cholowsky who put on a show. Justin Lebron continues to hit dingers, and an emerging pitching star might have staked an early claim to being the No. 1 prospect in the 2027 MLB Draft.

Roch Report: Cholowsky cements No. 1 prospect status

For the Chicago White Sox, I feel like they are 90 percent through the process of making their selection. They know how special a player Roch Cholowsky is, and the early-season performance, in a way, is exceeding the preseason hype. Against TCU, Cholowsky went 4-for-12 with three home runs, one being a grand slam that really set the tone for a series sweep. 

In eight games, Cholowsky has six home runs, which is tied for the nation’s lead. Of his 12 base hits, nine have gone for extra bases (three doubles, six home runs), which have powered his 1.629 OPS entering Tuesday night against San Diego State. Add in some impressive plays made defensively, and Cholowsky, in an eight-game sample, has provided what the White Sox are looking for when making the first overall selection in July. They want a future star, and Cholowsky's last two college seasons have proved he has the attributes to become one. At this stage, it’s about whether he can stay healthy, finish strong, and what his signing bonus asking price will be.

But as we discussed on the latest Sox Machine Podcast, it appears that Cholowsky wants to be more than the first overall pick. He’s playing at such a high level that not only could he earn both Player of the Year awards (Dick Howser and Golden Spikes), but he could also help lead UCLA back to Omaha, and win the National Championship. The supporting cast is getting better with RHP Logan Reddemann and 1B Mulivai Levu pushing themselves into Top 75 consideration, and senior OF Will Gasparino showcasing the potential so many thought he had when with Texas. 

Even though it feels like the first pick is settled, and White Sox fans can focus their attention elsewhere until July, I’ll still be watching every week. If Cholowsky and UCLA can stay this strong, we could witness one of the best college seasons ever, one on par with what Paul Skenes accomplished in 2023 with LSU. 

Injury News: Cameron Flukey out 8 weeks

First reported by Kendall Rogers of D1Baseball.com, Coastal Carolina RHP Cameron Flukey is now out eight weeks due to stress fractures in his rib.

This type of injury is concerning as first-rib stress fractures can cause thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS). In last year's run in the College World Series, Coastal Carolina leaned on Flukey as he accumulated over 100 innings in 18 appearances. In his lone start of 2026 on Opening Day, Flukey went 5.2 innings on 74 pitches.

The hope is enough rest will help alleviate the pain and avoid a worse injury. Flukey is Sox Machine's #8 ranked prospect in the 2026 MLB Draft.

Dax Whitney dazzles

Oregon State RHP Dax Whitney arrived on campus last year with quite a bit of hype. Thanks to his high-velocity fastball, Whitney went through the bumps many freshmen college pitchers go through in refining his overall arsenal, but still came away with impressive final numbers in 2025, as Whitney posted a 3.40 ERA in 17 starts, covering 76.2 innings, with 120 strikeouts to 37 walks.

To start 2026, Whitney suffered a tough loss on Opening Day against Michigan. On 76 pitches, Whitney only allowed one earned run in five innings of work. His follow-up act last Friday might be the best starting pitching performance we’ll see this season.

Facing Baylor in the Round Rock Classic, Whitney dazzled as he struck out 17 batters in seven innings on just 96 pitches. Thanks to the stadium having Statcast, we know Whitney threw 62 four-seam fastballs that averaged 97.9 MPH. That type of heat was too much for Baylor as they whiffed against the four-seamer at a 75.9(!) percent clip, which is a percentage I don't recall seeing on fastballs. For fun, Whitney mixed in a cutter/slider (I think there’s enough horizontal break to call it a slider), a sinker, a changeup, and a curveball. 

The pitch chart is handy to see the results, even though I wouldn’t recommend taking the grades too seriously. I don’t think you could create a pitcher in MLB The Show with four 80-grade pitches, but Whitney’s stuff is undeniable, and it will be fun to see what he does next. Even though he’s not draft-eligible until next year, we could have a fun competition for best college pitcher this season between Whitney and Jackson Flora.

Is a 20/20 season on the horizon for Justin Lebron? 

Just as many expected, Justin Lebron is keeping Cholowsky honest early in the Player of the Year races. It’s not against stiff competition, but Lebron already has five home runs in nine games. While the dingers grab attention on social media, I’m impressed by how Lebron is getting on base at a high rate to start. With only four strikeouts, Lebron’s strikeout percentage is in the single digits, which was needed after posting back-to-back K-rates of 20 percent or higher K-rates. The walks have come in bunches, and three pitches have hit Lebron.

For Alabama, while the home runs are certainly great, Lebron does have that base-stealing attribute that Cholowsky doesn’t. In Tuesday’s loss to No. 14 Southern Miss, Lebron swiped his ninth stolen base of the season in as many tries. For his college career, Lebron is now 32-for-33 in stolen base attempts.

The only weird thing about Lebron’s start is that he has more walks (9) than base hits (8), and I wonder if he’s too focused on hitting home runs. Again, it’s early, but a .158 BABIP entering Tuesday is odd, and I assume it will regress close to his college average of .371. If that happens, I think Lebron will be able to hold an OBP above .450, and with his wheels, could easily steal more than 20 bases this year. We don’t see many 20/20 seasons in in college baseball, but Lebron’s start to 2026 gives him a chance.

Second round target: RHP Joseph Contreras

With prep seasons starting soon in the Midwest, future draft reports will feature players from the White Sox Area Code team, which includes Jim Thome’s son, Landon, who plays shortstop for Nazareth Academy (and was Jaden Fauske’s teammate). If that particular nepotism route doesn’t excite you, maybe watching highlights of Joseph Contreras will.

Son of 2005 hero Jose Contreras, Joseph is a Vanderbilt commit who looks the part of a frontline starter. The younger Contreras still has room to grow into his 6-foot-4-inch frame, so there’s more projection for his prospect profile. In his last outing, Contreras threw five different pitches, led by a four-seamer that sat mostly at 94 mph but touched 98. Yes, just like his father, Contreras does occasionally mix in a forkball. 

Notable Performances

• RHP Jackson Flora went 5 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K vs. Portland last Friday. UC-Santa Barbara has kept Flora at a pitch limit around 85 early. 
• RHP Liam Peterson bounced back nicely after his Opening Day clunker by striking out 12 in 5.1 innings vs. Kennesaw State.
• Without RHP Tommy LaPour and LHP Noah Franco, TCU didn’t have enough arms to slow down UCLA’s offense. Now with a 3-5 record, the Horned Frogs have some work to do before Big 12 conference season play to get above .500. OF Chase Brunson hit his first home run of the season against UCLA, and OF Sawyer Strosnider went 5-for-10 this past weekend with two home runs. 
• Despite missing fall practices because of a foot injury, Mississippi State 3B Ace Reese is off to a strong start. In nine games, Reese is batting .514/.575/1.000 with three home runs and 15 RBIs.
• LSU OF Jake Brown is starting to garner draft attention. With Derek Curiel slow out of the gate, it’s Brown leading the LSU offense with 17 RBIs through nine games. 
• University of Miami freshman catcher Alonzo Alvarez, in his first seven college games, is hitting .588/.720/1.412 with eight walks to one strikeout. 

NCBWA Top 25 Poll - Week of February 23, 2026