White Sox take UCLA SS Cholowsky with top pick

July 11, 2026 No Comments

UCLA’s Roch Cholowsky taken No. 1 overall in draft by White SoxAssociated PressMultiple AuthorsJul 11, 2026, 01:50 PM ET

PHILADELPHIA — The Chicago White Sox selected UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky on Saturday with the first pick of the MLB amateur draft.

A 6-foot-2 right-handed hitter, Cholowsky was a Golden Spikes finalist at UCLA and had a 1.088 OPS with 21 homers and 60 RBI in his junior season.

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Tampa Bay picks second and Minnesota is third. San Francisco is fourth and Pittsburgh fifth. Kansas City, Baltimore, the Athletics, Atlanta and Colorado round out the top 10.

The White Sox had the top selection for the first time since taking Harold Baines in 1977.

The White Sox got the No. 1 pick after they lost 102 games last season and won the draft lottery and have pegged Cholowsky as a future star that can help them win their first World Series title since 2005.