White Sox win draft lottery, will pick #1 in 2026

[Y2Jimmy0]

1 hour ago, ChiSoxFanMike said:

What was the reason Roch didn’t go pro out of high school? He was asking for too much money?

Wanted like $4 million and had a strong UCLA commit. Dad is a pro scout, etc. He wasn't some lock, future #1 overall pick. Justin Lebron looked to be that guy early in the year. Cholowsky quickly overtook him though and he's very much the consensus obviously right now. Should be a fun season to follow. He'd be a top 20 prospect in baseball right now if he were eligible. He's going to be tough to overtake. 

[WestEddy]

I'm not even sure what's being argued, here, but asking Grok how long Cholowsky has been considered the top 2026 draft prospect, I got:
 

Quote

Roch Cholowsky has been widely regarded as the top prospect for the 2026 MLB Draft since mid-2025, following his breakout sophomore season at UCLA.His rise accelerated during the 2025 college baseball season (February-June), where he earned National College Player of the Year honors, hit .353/.480/.710 with 23 home runs, and established himself as an elite defensive shortstop with plus tools across the board.

• By May 2025, outlets like the Los Angeles Times described him as the "widely projected No. 1 pick," and Just Baseball included him among the top three candidates for No. 1 (alongside Justin Lebron and Drew Burress).
• Post-season (July-September 2025), sources like CBS Sports called him the "early favorite" to top rankings, Baseball America labeled him their No. 1 prospect, and in-depth scouting reports solidified his status.
• By late 2025 (October-December), he became the consensus runaway No. 1 across major boards:
  • MLB Pipeline
  • Baseball America
  • ESPN
  • USA Today
  • Others

Mock drafts and analyses describe him as one of the clearest top prospects in recent December cycles.In summary, Cholowsky has held the No. 1 spot consistently for about 6-7 months as of December 26, 2025, with projections starting during his dominant 2025 campaign and firming up immediately after.

 

[southsider2k5]

54 minutes ago, Look at Ray Ray Run said:

Guy wasnt even in the top 10 most likely to win college POY entering last season, let alone a shoe to be a future 1-1.

I guess we aren't reading the same things then.

[Look at Ray Ray Run]

6 minutes ago, southsider2k5 said:

I guess we aren't reading the same things then.

Would love for you to provide any links claiming he was the consensus #1 prospect prior to the start of this past season.

Using the google machine, the highest I could find him was 5th on some random medium blog:

https://medium.com/@oliver.mitsuo/2026-top-50-college-draft-prospects-b394ca46d6b2

Also, he wasn't in the top 10 of sportsbook odds to win the POY, so not sure what you were seeing there either.

Kid may continue to dominate and this becomes moot regardless, but being fixated on someone not named Bryce Harper before an amateur season is played isn't a good betting strategy.

[WestEddy]

6 minutes ago, Look at Ray Ray Run said:

Would love for you to provide any links claiming he was the consensus #1 prospect prior to the start of this past season.

Using the google machine, the highest I could find him was 5th on some random medium blog:

https://medium.com/@oliver.mitsuo/2026-top-50-college-draft-prospects-b394ca46d6b2

Also, he wasn't in the top 10 of sportsbook odds to win the POY, so not sure what you were seeing there either.

Kid may continue to dominate and this becomes moot regardless, but being fixated on someone not named Bryce Harper before an amateur season is played isn't a good betting strategy.

Who is fixated? Cholowsky is the consensus top prospect for the 2026 draft right now and has been since about May of last year. I'm sure the Sox will scout the whole projected first round. Everybody's going to insert Cholowsky's name as shorthand for "first pick of the 2026 draft" until or unless he plays himself out of that distinction. 

[southsider2k5]

19 minutes ago, Look at Ray Ray Run said:

Would love for you to provide any links claiming he was the consensus #1 prospect prior to the start of this past season.

Using the google machine, the highest I could find him was 5th on some random medium blog:

https://medium.com/@oliver.mitsuo/2026-top-50-college-draft-prospects-b394ca46d6b2

Also, he wasn't in the top 10 of sportsbook odds to win the POY, so not sure what you were seeing there either.

Kid may continue to dominate and this becomes moot regardless, but being fixated on someone not named Bryce Harper before an amateur season is played isn't a good betting strategy.

I hope you aren't equating sports writers and draftniks filling time to what the Sox are doing, because those aren't the same thing.  Me reading that pundits were saying that Roch would have been the #1 pick in a previous draft doesn't mean that the Sox have already decided that they are picking this guy and aren't looking at anyone else.  That isn't the same thing.

[Look at Ray Ray Run]

12 minutes ago, southsider2k5 said:

I hope you aren't equating sports writers and draftniks filling time to what the Sox are doing, because those aren't the same thing.  Me reading that pundits were saying that Roch would have been the #1 pick in a previous draft doesn't mean that the Sox have already decided that they are picking this guy and aren't looking at anyone else.  That isn't the same thing.

I'm just asking you to link some pundits that were saying that. I haven't seen anything out there prior to his breakout this past season. 

[Look at Ray Ray Run]

23 minutes ago, WestEddy said:

Who is fixated? Cholowsky is the consensus top prospect for the 2026 draft right now and has been since about May of last year. I'm sure the Sox will scout the whole projected first round. Everybody's going to insert Cholowsky's name as shorthand for "first pick of the 2026 draft" until or unless he plays himself out of that distinction. 

Since May of last year. May of 2024? 

Where?

[southsider2k5]

1 minute ago, Look at Ray Ray Run said:

I'm just asking you to link some pundits that were saying that. I haven't seen anything out there prior to his breakout this past season. 

You didn't though.  You equated it to something that wasn't said.

[WestEddy]

1 minute ago, Look at Ray Ray Run said:

Since May of last year. May of 2024? 

Where?

This year. 2025. 

[Look at Ray Ray Run]

5 minutes ago, WestEddy said:

This year. 2025. 

I certainly agree he's been the consensus pick since the college season ended. That's being the consensus pick for 6 months, certainly not going on 3 years as SS2K said.

Kid has a 50% chance at best of holding the post position. Hope he does and hope he's a generational player, but odds are against him.

[Look at Ray Ray Run]

8 minutes ago, southsider2k5 said:

You didn't though.  You equated it to something that wasn't said.

Pal, I said Roch hasn't been the consensus #1 pick even for a full year responding to your going on 3 years comment; he wasn't one before the start of last baseball season. You said we must be reading different things... I asked you to link those things you were reading because I couldn't find them anywhere. 

Didn't realize that would cause a stir.

[southsider2k5]

8 minutes ago, Look at Ray Ray Run said:

Pal, I said Roch hasn't been the consensus #1 pick even for a full year responding to your going on 3 years comment; he wasn't one before the start of last baseball season. You said we must be reading different things... I asked you to link those things you were reading because I couldn't find them anywhere. 

Didn't realize that would cause a stir.

And then turned it into that fixating on players was a horrible thing, even though that was never said.

[almagest]

I hope one of two things happens:

1. Roch plays out of his mind again and is a no doubt #1 pick
2. Someone else plays even MORE out of his mind and becomes the no doubt #1 pick

Edited 14 hours ago by almagest

[southsider2k5]

3 minutes ago, almagest said:

I hope one of two things happens:

1. Roch plays out of his mind again and is a no doubt #1 pick
2. Someone else plays even MORE out of his mind and becomes the no doubt #1 pick

As always, this stuff will settle itself out on the field.  Unless LeBron, Roch, and Emerson run into each other in a Team USA practice, all breaking each other's necks in the next six months, The Sox get the runway of sitting and watching to decide their direction.

[Chick Mercedes]

1 hour ago, WestEddy said:

Who is fixated? Cholowsky is the consensus top prospect for the 2026 draft right now and has been since about May of last year. I'm sure the Sox will scout the whole projected first round. Everybody's going to insert Cholowsky's name as shorthand for "first pick of the 2026 draft" until or unless he plays himself out of that distinction. 

Unlike Ryan Poles, who only scouted one quarterback. But I digress 

[chitownsportsfan]

That the consensus #1 on 12/26/25 wasn't the consensus #1 on 12/26/24 is an odd thing to fixate on imo.

Edited 11 hours ago by chitownsportsfan

[46DidIt]

3 hours ago, southsider2k5 said:

And then turned it into that fixating on players was a horrible thing, even though that was never said.

Have you considered a career in politics?

[Y2Jimmy0]

5 hours ago, Look at Ray Ray Run said:

I certainly agree he's been the consensus pick since the college season ended. That's being the consensus pick for 6 months, certainly not going on 3 years as SS2K said.

Kid has a 50% chance at best of holding the post position. Hope he does and hope he's a generational player, but odds are against him.

Very much disagree here. It also just seems unnecessary. 

4 hours ago, Chick Mercedes said:

Unlike Ryan Poles, who only scouted one quarterback. But I digress 

The entire NFL would’ve taken Caleb Williams at #1. 

[WhiteSox2023]

47 minutes ago, Y2Jimmy0 said:

Very much disagree here. It also just seems unnecessary. 

The entire NFL would’ve taken Caleb Williams at #1. 

Ryan Pace was the fuckup.  He didn’t even interview Mahomes or Watson.

[WhiteSox2023]

6 hours ago, Look at Ray Ray Run said:

Pal, I said Roch hasn't been the consensus #1 pick even for a full year responding to your going on 3 years comment; he wasn't one before the start of last baseball season. You said we must be reading different things... I asked you to link those things you were reading because I couldn't find them anywhere. 

Didn't realize that would cause a stir.

C’mon Ray Ray.  I love your posts and I am usually the negative Nancy, but for once the Sox got the #1 pick with 27% odds in a draft with what looks like a consensus superstar.  We should all be creaming our pants.  It also makes it so the Sox can’t really f*** up their pick.

[Chick Mercedes]

1 hour ago, Y2Jimmy0 said:

Very much disagree here. It also just seems unnecessary. 

The entire NFL would’ve taken Caleb Williams at #1. 

I’m sure there may have been outliers who had questions, were more comfortable trading down. The trick is to not be a sheep, and be the exceptional GM, not “the entire NFL”