UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky goes No. 1 overall to White Sox

CHICAGO -- The discussions now can stop. The rumor mill can stop churning.

It’s time for the White Sox to Roch and Roll.

Daniel Roch Cholowsky has become the first pick of the 2026 MLB Draft out of UCLA. The White Sox made that move official at 12:43 p.m. CT Saturday, marking their third-overall No. 1 pick in franchise history.

Danny Goodwin didn’t sign out of Peoria High School in 1971. Harold Baines went from St. Michael’s High School in Easton, Md., to the White Sox in 1977 to, eventually, the Hall of Fame as a revered staple of the organization. Cholowsky was thought to be the White Sox favorite from the time the team won the Draft Lottery on Dec. 9, 2025 at the last Winter Meetings, with prep shortstop Grady Emerson and Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey in the mix.

“You see a much stronger player. He's more physically advanced,” said White Sox director of amateur scouting Mike Shirley, before the selection, of how Cholowsky has changed during this season. “He was the shortstop, the leader and the captain of the No. 1 college team in America. He is foundational on the field with his habits.

• Get to know No. 2 Draft prospect Roch Cholowsky

“He's a leader on the field. He has very secure defense at shortstop, so he does the things defensively that you want a 6-hole guy to do. I think the power is real. He does those three pillars we talked about. He controls the zone. There's contact and there's damage, and he plays shortstop."

In a trade with the Pirates late Friday, the White Sox added a Competitive Balance Round A selection (No. 34 overall) in the Draft and left-handed pitcher Jaden Woods in exchange for left-hander Brandon Eisert and infielder Jacob Gonzalez. That move gave the White Sox the largest pool of any team and allowed them greater leeway to select Cholowsky and still build an overall impactful Draft as Shirley has talked about a number of times.

When the pick was announced at Rate Field prior to Saturday’s game against the Athletics, the crowd at that time reacted with a loud round of applause. Cholowsky was shown on the scoreboard with his family after the pick was announced, getting very emotional in the moment.

Gene Honda, the longtime White Sox public address announcer, made the news official. The White Sox followed that news by playing "I Wanna Rock and Roll All Night," a KISS classic.

Cholowsky joins a group of White Sox shortstops featuring Colson Montgomery as their Major League starter at the spot, and Caleb Bonemer, the No. 1 White Sox prospect and No. 16 overall, per MLB Pipeline, taking part in the Futures Game on Sunday. With Billy Carlson (No. 4 White Sox, No. 58 overall), the team’s top pick from the 2025 Draft, William Bergolla Jr. (No. 9), Kyle Lodise (No. 8) and Javier Mogollon (No. 11) also in the mix, the organization is rock solid at that position.

Make that Roch solid as of Saturday.