To the surprise of nearly no one, the White Sox selected UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky with the top overall pick of the 2026 MLB draft.  Cholowsky, the consensus preseason pick both at the draft lottery in December and the start of the college baseball season in February, had an ok, but not outstanding junior season, enabling prep shortstop Grady Emerson and Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey to enter into the conversation.  Cholowsky reportedly agreed to sign under slot, which is just north of $11.3 million, which gave the team room to select Landon Thome, son of Hall of Famer Jim Thome, with the competitive balance pick they acquired yesterday from the Pirates in the Jacob Gonzalez trade.

Cholowsky becomes the third overall top pick by the White Sox, following Danny Goodwin in 1971 and Harold Baines in 1977.  Hopefully his career ends up closed to the later than the former.