After winning the MLB (Major League Baseball) draft’s number one pick, the Chicago White Sox are running out of time to lock in their decision. The team is widely believed to be deciding between three players: UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky, high school shortstop Grady Emerson, and Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey. Here are three reasons why the White Sox should make the easy choice and select Cholowsky.
When it comes to hitting in college baseball, no one mashes the ball like Cholowsky. After three seasons with UCLA, he hit a total of 51 homers with 162 runs batted in. While people generally equate power hitting with striking out, Cholowsky managed to accumulate more walks while maintaining a .329 batting average throughout his college career. Even though he is not noted for his speed on the bases, Cholowsky stole 14 bases in college, establishing himself as an overall offensive threat.
The other top hitters in the draft, Emerson and Lackey, do not have the hitting pedigree that Cholowsky has when facing college pitching. While posting a historic season batting .534, Emerson is hard to compare to the other hitters due to facing high school competition as opposed to top college pitching. A threat on the base paths, Lackey totaled 34 stolen bases across his college career and amassed 30 home runs and 135 runs batted in. Looking at the stats of the top three prospects, Cholowsky has the best offensive numbers while facing the best pitching.
All three of the potential draft targets for the White Sox are stellar defensive players. Cholowsky has registered consecutive seasons above a .965 fielding percentage. This earned him the Brooks Wallace Award as the nation’s top college shortstop and the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. He has also been utilized at third base at UCLA, showcasing his athleticism and arm strength. While able to play either position, scouts view him long-term as an elite shortstop.
Coming off a .993 fielding percentage season in 2025, Emerson capped off his high school baseball career by posting a .992 fielding percentage in 2026. These percentages show a prolific defensive career with only one to two errors per season. Primarily a catcher, Lackey is regarded as a top-tier defensive player. Over his collegiate career, he has achieved a 25.6% caught-stealing rate. While both Emerson and Lackey are talented defensive players, Cholowsky offers flexibility on the infield and has demonstrated success against college hitting.
Coming off back-to-back 100-loss seasons, the White Sox are a young, rebuilding team on the fast track to a successful 2026 season and beyond. Getting the number one draft pick allows them to either take a player to stash for several years and develop, or one who could contribute as early as 2027. Even though he started in college for three seasons as a catcher, Lackey would most likely not reach the majors until late 2028. Emerson, coming from high school, would be a player who would most likely take until 2031 to reach a major league roster.
If the White Sox selected Cholowsky in the draft, he would be projected to reach the major league roster in 2027. Although the White Sox have a rising star at shortstop in Colson Montgomery, they could elect to move Cholowsky to third base or the outfield. This would allow fellow White Sox player Miguel Vargas to move from third base to the outfield or to be the designated hitter exclusively. Cholowsky’s hitting potential and fielding flexibility would give the White Sox the highest chance of a contributing player much quicker than the other top prospects in this season’s MLB draft.
The White Sox should make the easy choice and select shortstop Roch Cholowsky with the number one draft pick. He is a prolific hitter, batting over .300 during his college career with more than 50 home runs and 150 runs batted in. He would also bring his gold-glove-caliber play to a team that starts several defensive stars.
Cholowsky would also project to contribute to the White Sox in 2027, much earlier than the other top prospects in the class. Already a three-year starter in college, he would not need much development in the minor leagues. This would be in line with the White Sox rebuilding timeline and their quest to compete in the American League Central in the next couple of years.
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