Here are the White Sox 2026 Draft picks

CHICAGO – White Sox director of amateur scouting Mike Shirley and his wife, Kimberly, celebrated their 29th wedding anniversary on Sunday.

“I’ve talked to my wife for about two seconds today,” said Shirley during a Zoom.

Such is the fate of the man overseeing a record pool of $20,489,500 in the 2026 Draft, including the first overall pick for the third time in franchise history.

It’s a responsibility Shirley doesn’t want again, not with the White Sox on the rise and not intending to look back. But it’s one he got through with a vast amount of organizational assistance and input.

“It’s substantial. It’s a real responsibility that you execute something that’s real,” Shirley said. “I remember when the Draft pool was $4 million and now it’s at the space it is.

“So, it’s a real responsibility. I have so much respect for [chairman] Jerry [Reinsdorf]. We just want to do our absolute best. We are grateful for the opportunity. That’s what I mean about the execution.”

Shirley paused for a moment before adding, “But it’s a lot.”

The White Sox selected 10 pitchers (nine right-handers and one left-hander), six infielders, four outfielders and one two-way player in 18-year-old Alex Weingartner in the sixth round as an outfielder and right-handed pitcher. Their Draft celebration already began Sunday with Roch Cholowsky, the talented shortstop and No. 1 pick overall out of UCLA, coming to Rate Field with friends and family to throw out a first pitch before the team’s 9-1 victory over the Athletics.

Landon Thome, who the White Sox picked at No. 34 out of Nazareth Academy in LaGrange Park, Ill., also was in attendance Sunday and met with the media. Cholowsky threw out a first pitch to Harold Baines, the Hall of Famer and last No. 1 overall pick for the White Sox, and Thome threw out the first pitch to his father, Jim, a Hall of Famer and special assistant to general manager Chris Getz.

“We wanted to bring the excitement to our fans and show the gratitude that we have for them,” Shirley said. “You've got to remember the appreciation for what our fan base has done to live with this moment.

“You don't get the first pick without some hard times. It's also a reward for our fan base for those guys to show up and see the continued buildout we're trying to show here, and to show up at the stadium and understand this is yours, this is part of the White Sox nation now. Let's celebrate this together.”

After all this intense work, it’s time for a little rest for Shirley and a family celebration following a job well done with his White Sox family.

“The thing about Roch [Cholowsky], Landon [Thome] and Cole [Prosek] at the same time, I had people in the league texting me, ‘Hey, we taking a first baseman next?’” Shirley said. “They felt like that piece of the infield we were selecting was real.

“We are starting to build something out that’s real. You keep taking these infielders. It’s about pieces of the puzzle that are maneuverable and can continue to add to our offense and can be deployed in multiple places if we need them.”

Cole Prosek, INF

• Round 2, Pick 41
• Bats/throws: L/R
• School: Magnolia Heights, Mississippi
• Calling Card: Prosek can play second, third, at catcher and even got up to 93 mph on the mound. Prosek will start as a third baseman but will see some time at second. His hit tool is real, according to Shirley.
• Quote: “Baseball acumen on him is rich but the left-handed bat is pretty substantial. He’s been a target since Day 1. He’s the guy scouts are super excited about. We are willing to take the risk for the bat speed and intent.” – Shirley

Joey Volchko, RHP

• Round 3, Pick 77
• Bats/throws: R/R
• School: Georgia
• Calling Card: Described by Shirley as super smart and super detailed, Volchko started at Stanford but built out his repertoire at Georgia. He’s a special piece with power and athleticism as well.
• Quote: “He’s a monster, big strong athletic, the makeup, the intelligence, the aptitude off the charts.” – Shirley

Eric Segura, RHP

• Round 4, Pick 105
• Bats/throws: R/R
• School: Oregon State
• Calling Card: Shirley pointed to the makeup for Segura as a selling point.
• Quote: “Really throws a lot of strikes, breaking ball that really moves and just the seamed-effect sinker that we’re really trying to chase with him most importantly.” – Shirley

More on the White Sox 2026 Draft:

• Roch and roll: No. 1 pick Cholowsky 'fell in love' with Chicago
• Family affair: White Sox draft SS Landon Thome, son of Hall of Famer Jim
• White Sox 2026 Draft Tracker

Rounds 5-10
Alex Weingartner out of St. Augustine Prep in New Jersey might be one of the most interesting picks in the whole Draft.

“I thought the kid and the makeup are right,” Shirley said. “[Director of hitting] Ryan Fuller was really big behind the decision as well, because he feels like the swing has the traits we're looking for in terms of the contact, decisions, damage on this kind of athlete that can play center field. That was the goal. You’re talking about a special athlete.”

Player to watch: Clay Burdette, OF

• Round 7, Pick 195
• Bats/throws: R/R
• School: Xavier
• Calling Card: David Keller, who is in charge of the White Sox international scouting, watched a game pitting Xavier and Georgia Tech, and he felt Burdette was the No. 2 player in that game behind Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey. According to Shirley, the White Sox have been hearing about Burdette all year from area scout J.D. Heilmann.

Rounds 11-15
Shirley talked up outfielder Braden Holcomb (Round 12) and first baseman Grayson Fitzwater (Round 13). Fitzwater’s game shows some resemblance to Anthony DePino, who is playing good baseball for Double-A Birmingham and was taken in the seventh round last year. Shirley also raved about left-hander Cameron Johnson (Round 15).

Player to watch: Kyle Casteel, RHP

• Round 11, Pick 315
• Bats/throws: R/R
• School: Butler Area High School (Pa.)
• Calling Card: There was another player the White Sox were considering at this spot, but they went with Casteel over a position player with input from Getz. Shirley feels good about the security of Casteel’s three pitches, with an easy effort level, a clean arm and the direction and the delivery work. He can navigate the strike zone, understanding quadrants with his fastball, making it possible to commit to a high school pitcher in this section of the Draft.

Rounds 16-20
Darrin Horn (Round 16) is a right-handed pitcher from Coastal Carolina, the collegiate home of Sam Antonacci, who brings a sidearm view from the mound.

“That’s one thing [senior advisor to pitching Brian Bannister] wants to try to do is looking for one unique trait guy every Draft,” Shirley said. “If you hit one of these unique trait guys to help solidify a piece of the puzzle, it could make a huge difference.

“We take a risk each year trying to secure a low slot guy to see if we can find some gold in there. Bani really believed in this kid.”

Player to watch: Crew McChesney, OF

• Round 17, Pick 495
• Bats/throws: L/R
• School: BYU
• Calling Card: Along with having a first-class name, Shirley said McChesney “can fly.” He’s a 70-grade runner with big-time raw power. So it’s a power-speed combination for the White Sox to take a little risk.