Roch was ranked the #42 prospect by BA coming out of high school. Scouting report at the time below.

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Commit/Drafted: UCLA
Age At Draft: 18.3
BA Grade:55/Extreme
Tools:Hit: 50. Power: 45. Run: 55. Field: 60. Arm: 55.

Cholowsky is a standout, multi-sport athlete who also plays football and basketball, and comes from an athletic family. His father, Dan, played eight years in the minor leagues and is also a scout for the Reds. A three-star quarterback prospect, Cholowsky is talented enough to play both football and baseball in college but he has first-round potential on the baseball field. Listed at 6-foot-2, 185 pounds, Cholowsky has solid hand-eye coordination and makes plenty of contact, but at times can be overly aggressive with his swing decisions. For now he’s more of a contact hitter than a power hitter, though he has the sort of lean, athletic frame that should only add more strength in the future. He did hit 11 home runs in 31 games with Hamilton High in his senior season. Cholowsky shines on the defensive side. He’s one of the most fluid and impressive shortstops in the class, with silky smooth actions and exceptional footwork. He glides around the infield dirt and is capable of making all the routine plays, and makes the difficult ones look easy and natural. He’s particularly adept at ranging up the middle to his glove side and throwing on the run and from multiple angles—perhaps in part thanks to his quarterbacking background. Cholowsky has above-average hands, above-average arm strength and above-average instincts that should give him plus defensive upside at a premium position. He’s turned in plus run times and projects to be at least an above-average runner in the future. Cholowsky is committed to UCLA but fits as a top-two round talent.

 

Edited December 13, 2025Dec 13 by DirtySox

55 minutes ago, SoxBlanco said:

How was Roch rated coming out of high school? I like guys who always seem to be highly regarded and then keep living up to the expectations. 

He was probably a first round pick, but he wanted to go to college 

Thanks for all the replies. This will be a very telling year for him with all the hype and expectations. 

@Y2Jimmy0 posted up his way too early mock with the first 3 picks for the Sox.

https://www.futuresox.net/2025/12/14/way-too-early-2026-mlb-mock-draft/

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1. Chicago White Sox: Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA
Cholowsky is the consensus top player in the class right now as the 6-2, 195 pound shortstop was the best player in college baseball as a sophomore. The right-handed hitter is the son of a long time scout and he was a two sport standout while also playing quarterback for Hamilton High School in Arizona. Cholowsky might be the best college shortstop since Troy Tulowitzki and he posted a 1.190 OPS with 23 homers as a sophomore. He’s a plus defender with a plus arm and 70 raw power. This pick could be franchise altering for the White Sox.

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42. Chicago White Sox (2nd round): Brady Harris, OF, Trinity Christian HS (FL)
The White Sox take advantage of their significant bonus pool space and nab one of the most intriguing prep players in the class. Harris displays bat speed and power potential and could be a middle-of-the-order bat in the future. The Jacksonville prep has plus speed and a 70-grade arm. He’s not a lock to stay in center field but it’s an offensive profile that would work in a corner.

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79. Chicago White Sox (3rd round): Savion Sims, RHP, Prestonwood Christian HS (TX)
Sims will be 19-years-old on draft day but he’s the most electric arm in the high school class. The Oklahoma commit was a member of the White Sox’s Area Codes Team and the 6-8, 205 pound righty reaches 100 mph with his fastball. He displays big velocity with arm speed in a low effort delivery. The secondary pitches need work and the command must improve as well but this is a very high upside swing.

 

Where does Thome project to be drafted?

Edited December 14, 2025Dec 14 by Bob Sacamano

20 minutes ago, Bob Sacamano said:

Where does Thome project to be drafted?

He's ranked 61st overall in the class. Performance and asking price will play a large part of it, but I would hazard anywhere from the late 1st to 3rd round?

On 12/14/2025 at 1:24 PM, DirtySox said:

He's ranked 61st overall in the class. Performance and asking price will play a large part of it, but I would hazard anywhere from the late 1st to 3rd round?

Maybe he will cut a cutsie deal for the Sox and we can slide him to the 3rd

I reallllly want to trade for a comp pick for this draft. GIVE ME ALL THE MONEY

1 minute ago, Squirmin' for Yermin said:

Maybe he will cut a cutsie deal for the Sox and we can slide him to the 3rd

While we still have an entire spring to sort out, but I can't imagine him NOT getting picked by the Sox.

3 minutes ago, Squirmin' for Yermin said:

I reallllly want to trade for a comp pick for this draft. GIVE ME ALL THE MONEY

Who is in that bucket that might be willing to deal one?

4 minutes ago, southsider2k5 said:

Who is in that bucket that might be willing to deal one?

I keep meaning to check if any teams interested in Robert have a competitive balance pick they could offer up in some capacity.

29 minutes ago, DirtySox said:

I keep meaning to check if any teams interested in Robert have a competitive balance pick they could offer up in some capacity.

Pirates. Something like Comp A and Levi Sterling for Robert and $$ would be excellent 

36 minutes ago, Y2Jimmy0 said:

Pirates. Something like Comp A and Levi Sterling for Robert and $$ would be excellent 

I think their comp pick is in the 35th overall range. I reckon the talent we could push down to that range would be better than any prospect we could trade for. 

What would you guys say are the Sox biggest system wide needs?

I would say that they need power, and that they need outfielders. 

8 hours ago, Boopa1219 said:

What would you guys say are the Sox biggest system wide needs?

I would say that they need power, and that they need outfielders. 

And you can never have enough pitching. 

OF/CF 1B/DH

pitching pitching pitching

On 12/16/2025 at 4:18 PM, Y2Jimmy0 said:

Pirates. Something like Comp A and Levi Sterling for Robert and $$ would be excellent 

Yes, this is what i'd envision and would love.

11 minutes ago, Squirmin' for Yermin said:

Yes, this is what i'd envision and would love.

Except you won't get both.

Small market teams pretty much have to hit on those comp.round picks to come close to competing.

I want this guy in round 2. 

On 12/27/2025 at 2:18 AM, Boopa1219 said:

I want this guy in round 2. 

 

I'm also on the Kevin Roberts bandwagon. He's been getting hyped up on X lately. BA scouting report below.

Ranked 27th currently.

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27. Kevin Roberts
OF / RHP

Ht: 6'5" | Wt: 215 | B-T: R-R

School: Jackson Prep HS, Flowood, Miss. Committed/Drafted: Florida. Age At Draft: 17.9

Roberts was high school teammates with 2024 High School Player of the Year Konnor Griffin, so scouts got a lot of looks at him that spring. Roberts is one of the youngest players in the class—and will still be 17 at the draft—but he still stands out for his size, dynamic athleticism and tools despite of that. He generates a lot of torque with his swing, and between his bat speed and physical upside on his tall, broad-shouldered frame, he should grow into at least plus, if not plus-plus, raw power. His barrel gets deep into the hitting zone early, and he’s able to drive the ball well to all fields, showing improved timing this year that has helped him translate his power against live pitching. He has a patient approach with a good eye for the strike zone, but he also struggled at the plate in the 2025 circuit and often looked a bit overmatched. Roberts is a plus runner with long strides and a chance to stick in center field. If he does end up going to right field, he has the offensive upside to profile there and already has a plus arm that could end up a 70 on the 20-80 scouting scale. Roberts is primarily a position player but offers significant upside on the mound, as well, thanks to a fastball that has touched 94 mph and a changeup with good sink and separation off his fastball along with a curveball. He’s committed to Florida.

 

Edited December 31, 2025Dec 31 by DirtySox

 

Meant to post this earlier in the week but life has been busy. Will omit some of the article as folks should support BA. Stoked for college games to start tomorrow.

How Scouting Departments Grade The 2026 MLB Draft Class

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As part of Baseball America’s preseason All-America and best tools balloting, each year we ask scouting directors to grade the strength of the upcoming draft class based on the 20-80 scale across several key categories, such as overall talent, depth and hitting and pitching demographics. For 2026, we received feedback from 18 MLB clubs.

Overall Talent

Average Grade: 58
Range: 50-70
Majority: 60
In the six years we’ve been doing this exercise, the 58 average grade for this category is the highest we’ve had. Not a single team viewed the 2026 class as below average, with most viewing it as plus. One team put a 70-grade evaluation on the group.

Impact Talent

Average Grade: 54
Range: 30-60
Majority: 60
Roch Cholowsky is a great headliner for this class, but polling results in the impact talent category shows some split opinions here. This 30-60 range is one of the wider ranges we received for any category, though only two clubs viewed the impact as below average—one with a 40 grade and one with a 30 grade. All 16 other clubs had either solid or plus grades. 

Overall Depth

Average Grade: 59
Range: 50-70
Majority: 60
Over the years, draft class depth has been the most favorably reviewed category. This is the third class to score a 59 average grade, joining both the 2021 covid-bloated group and a highly-touted 2023 class that now has plenty of high-profile high school players draft-eligible once again.

Summary

Below is how the 2026 class looks when we put all the grades together and round to the nearest half-grade:

Overall: 60 (plus)
Impact: 55 (above-average)
Depth: 60 (plus)
College Pitching: 50 (average)
College Hitting: 55 (above-average)
High School Pitching: 60 (plus)
High School Hitting: 50 (average)

The 2026 class is the best we’ve seen in years, and it is graded as such by the industry. It’s the first class to earn a rounded 60 grade in overall talent, and it also has above-average or plus grades in depth, college hitting and high school pitching.

While plenty of things can change this spring, the 2026 class of players looks impactful, well-rounded and deep, with few question marks or weaknesses to be found.

 

Edited February 13Feb 13 by DirtySox

For those of you that intend to watch college games, Joe Doyle's website Over-Slot has a feature I've long been wanting and it's incredible.

There's a "Games" tab that shows all of the games for the day, along with links to where they can be streamed (you still need to have the streaming service) with draft rankings of notable players and what draft class they belong to right next to it. It's beautiful. Check it out.

https://overslotbaseball.com/live-games/

Edited February 13Feb 13 by DirtySox

https://www.si.com/college/ucla/bruins-cholowsky-welcomes-pressure-big-dreams