CHICAGO — About 20 hours before the first round of the 2026 MLB draft, more than two dozen Chicago White Sox staff members gathered at 4 p.m. in the team theater beneath Rate Field to continue deliberations over the No. 1 overall selection, according to ESPN. The club owned the top pick after winning the December draft lottery and had narrowed its choice to two shortstops: UCLA junior Roch Cholowsky, 21, and Texas high school senior Grady Emerson, 18.
General manager Chris Getz opened the meeting and acknowledged that a clear decision had not yet been reached, according to ESPN. The discussion unfolded as a timed presentation — roughly 40 minutes in total, with about 20 minutes devoted to each prospect — while highlights for both players were shown on an overhead projection screen. ESPN was granted unrestricted access to the session.
Getz shepherded input from every department as the organization worked toward consensus, ESPN reported. Vice president of amateur scouting Mike Shirley was asked first for his evaluation of the right-handed-hitting Cholowsky and then handed the discussion to West Coast supervisor Scott Thomas. Thomas called Cholowsky a complete package, praising his tools, instincts and makeup and saying there were few obvious holes in his profile, according to ESPN.
Cholowsky’s ability to adjust at the plate was a recurring theme in the room. His junior season at UCLA produced a .320/.452/.636 line and a 1.088 OPS, though that marked a slight step back from his sophomore year, according to ESPN. Shirley said the club felt good about its evaluations but acknowledged there had been some turbulence in the process as Emerson closed the gap in the debate.
Throughout the meeting, Getz emphasized that both prospects were highly regarded and that the organization would play a role in their development, according to ESPN. While Getz retained the ultimate authority to make the pick, the decision-making process in the room reflected broad input from scouting and other departments.
