2026 MLB Draft Review: Chicago White Sox

The players

Since last year, Roch Cholowsky has been considered either the top player available in the 2026 MLB Draft—or just behind the Rays‘ pick, Grady Emerson. Ultimately, the Sox went with Cholowsky.

One of the better high school prospects available in the 2023 MLB Draft, Cholowsky opted not to go pro and instead go to UCLA. Over the three years he was in Los Angeles, the junior shortstop lived up to the hype. He hit over .300 as a freshman, had a career-high 23 home runs for a club that went to Omaha in 2025, and belted 21 more home runs in 2026.

All-around standout player. Walked as many times as he struck out, has pop and range, and should be a Major Leaguer soon. No, his brief stint in the pros wasn’t hot. But the upside is incredibly high.

Speaking of high upside, the White Sox made sure to make good use of their hefty draft pool allotment, going for significant high school talent, as the club has done for many years in the MLB Draft.

Landon Thome is the son of former White Sox and Baseball Hall of Famer Jim Thome. A product of Illinois. Thome has a similar setup to his father. You can see the raw power. Landon is a middle infielder by trade and has a good arm, making him the kind of player who could either stick at short or play at third, as his father did with the Indians.

Chicago doled out over $3MM to Cole Prosek, part of what was a deep Mississippi high school class. Strong hitter who also has a very good arm and may wind up at a corner infield spot. The White Sox have plenty of infield depth between Prosek, Thome, Cholowsky, plus Caleb Bonemer and Billy Carlson.

The White Sox also spent seven figures on New Jersey high school product Alex Weingartner. A speedy athlete who flashed a mid-90s fastball as a pitcher, Weingartner was selected as an outfielder and is one of those intriguing assets.

Lastly, Chicago spent seven figures on another high schooler, 11th-round pick Kyle Casteel out of Butler High School in Western Pennsylvania.

Aside from those grabs, the White Sox grabbed several promising college pitchers, all of whom performed at a high level. Georgia pitcher Joey Volchko was dominant in the College World Series this past June against Texas, flashing a mid-90s fastball and slider. Volchko pitched very well at UGA, one year after mixed results with Stanford.

Eric Segura was one of Oregon State’s “big three” pitchers, alongside Dax Whitney and now-Marlins prospect Ethan Kleinschmit. Segura struck out 82 over 73 innings and posted an ERA just a tick above 2.00 with the Beavers this past season. Extreme groundball pitcher; went heavy on a sinker that ran into the mid-90s, along with a sweeper and split/change.

Segura was one of two OSU pitchers taken by the Sox. The other was Isaac Yeager, a reliever who struck out 49 over 39 innings. Fastball that can run up to the mid-90s, along with a slider.

Chicago stayed with the Oregon theme, grabbing Cal Scolari from the Ducks in the fifth round. Fastball with cut that ran into the mid-90s and touched the upper-90s. Slider and curveball round out his arsenal.

The Sox also grabbed some other known college performers, like Vandy’s Braden Holcomb and Clay Burdette from Xavier, the latter of whom hit 17 home runs with the Musketeers.

Cameron Johnson was able to get on the mound with Oklahoma after transferring from LSU. One of the more well-known high schoolers from a few years back.