The White Sox got a huge boost a few weeks ago when they won the draft lottery, as this upcoming draft can change the trajectory of the franchise. Besides getting their pick of any player they want, they will get a ton of money to spend throughout the draft. This will allow them to potentially grab multiple impact players.
As it stands right now, there is a consensus player for the first pick. That would be Roch Cholowsky, a shortstop out of UCLA. This is who the White Sox should pick when they are on the clock, and this is who I believe the White Sox will pick. However, there is still another full season ahead and things can change. While I don’t believe, barring a historically awful season, that there is much that should take Cholowsky off their board, a franchise needs to do their homework on all the potential top picks.
While I believe that the White Sox should and will select Cholowsky, the MLB draft is the strangest of them all, as the bonus pool money has players go in odd spots. I don’t think that will be the case for the White Sox, but we can take a look at the other potential top picks in the draft incase something insane happens.
Looking at MLB Pipeline’s Draft Prospect Rankings, Cholowsky is the number one ranked prospect with an overall grade of 65. This is the highest in the draft and the only player to receive this grade. However, after Cholowsky there are some interesting players.
Currently ranked at number two is prep shortstop Grady Emerson out of Fort Worth Texas. He is the highest ranked high schooler in the draft and most teams would be happy with him at number one overall, if not for Cholowsky.
SS Grady Emerson, the #1 HS player in the 2026 Draft, displays effortless bat speed with a connected swing and stays extremely balanced with his lower half.
He stands 6'2"/180 w/ more physical projection left and makes excellent In-Zone Swing decisions. pic.twitter.com/nJJsIloCsc
— Running From The OPS (@OPS_BASEBALL) December 25, 2025
According to his page on MLB Pipeline, scouts rank his overall grade as a 60 on the 20-80 scale. He has a 60 hit, arm, and fielding tool, while his power and speed rank at 55. As a 6 foot 2 inch lefty shortstop, he will be on the top of many draft boards and if the White Sox chose not to pick Cholowsky, he could be the pick.
Ranked at number 3 on MLB Pipeline’s list is Alabama shortstop Justin Lebron. Similarly to Emerson, if Cholowsky was not in this draft class, he would be considered the best college player in the draft.
𝑫𝙧𝒂𝙛𝒕 𝑩𝙤𝒂𝙧𝒅 𝑺𝙥𝒐𝙩𝒍𝙞𝒈𝙝𝒕
Justin Lebron, SS, Alabama
Lebron rounds out the Top 10 on our initial draft board. A high-level athlete who has plus bat speed & power in the toolset. Handles SS well, too. A big ‘26 could raise the stock even more.#PGDraft #MLBDraft pic.twitter.com/Dez5Vq8WNa
— Perfect Game Draft (@PG_Draft) November 21, 2025
In Lebron’s sophomore season, he slashed .316/.421/.636. He added 18 homeruns, 72 RBIs, and 17 stolen bases. He walked 35 times compared to 68 walks and had an elite 1.058 OPS. This was a fantastic season for Lebron and barring a bad junior year, he should be a lock to go in the top 5.
The White Sox will have to do their due diligence and there are some other really good players in this draft. However, when it is all said and done, Cholowsky will be the pick, as he is a generational talent that you cannot pass up on. The real draft will start in the second round for the White Sox, as they could have the money to lure players away from going or returning to college.
