Obvious White Sox Draft Decision Reinforced by Latest Odds, Mock Drafts
Despite months of speculation, the latest betting odds and mock drafts suggest the White Sox' decision with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft has been obvious all along.
Video Transcript
Sam Phelan here with the White Sox Roundtable with an update on that first overall pick in the 2026 MLB draft.
There's been a lot of noise and misinformation about the pick leading up to the draft in July.
come July 11th in Philadelphia, Rob Manfred will read a name for the White Sox, and it will be a pivotal pick, in terms of the trajectory of this franchise and in terms of the overall perception of this front office.
You gotta get these types of picks right when you've got number one overall, especially when you're in this position the White Sox are in, with a chance to pour gasoline on a fire that has started and been sparked through a great 2026 season.
And yet despite all the noise, all of the rumors, all of the, you know, pieces of information suggesting something different, I have always maintained that the White Sox are going to stick and pick the long-mocked outcome of UCLA shortstop Rok Cholowski with the top pick in the draft.
This is the most talented college shortstop we've seen in 20 years.
He's a do-it-all player with power, speed, elite defense at a premium position, an impressive track record, with multiple seasons of great production.
he's also the closest to the big leagues, which I do think matters, going off of what GM Chris Getz has described for what the White Sox want.
And then just in case you need more proof that Cholowski is the pick for the White Sox, you can take a look at the latest mock drafts and the latest betting odds because, of course, the months leading up to the draft are often the time for misinformation.
It's time for people to get their agendas across through leaks and fake leaks and, sourced information.
But as we get closer, there's usually a good sense of what's going to happen at the very top of the draft.
DraftKings Sportsbook right now, Cholowski the clear favorite to go number one overall at minus 245.
Vaughn Lackey second at plus 290.
Grady Emerson is a distant third at plus 500.
Very interesting, considering some people believe Emerson is the other toss-up choice, that it's either Cholowski or Emerson, and that the White Sox are not considering taking a catcher.
That's what Baseball America's recent mock draft has.
They also have Cholowski in the top spot with a 60% chance that it's Cholowski, 30% chance that Emerson is the pick.
Here's the quote from Carlos Collazo of Baseball America.
He says, "I've talked with more sources recently who think it's more likely to be one of Cholowski or Emerson than Georgia Tech catcher Vaughn Lackey.
Even putting numbers on this, though, probably overstates the confidence that I have."
No GM, no mock draft is 100% accurate, but there tends to be a good idea of these things.
And while we've heard conflicting reports about Emerson, then Lackey, and Emerson, then Lackey, the one thing that has always remained constant is that Rok Cholowski is in contention for the number one pick.
And with the White Sox GM going on record of saying he's not going to overthink things, wanting to keep it simple and take the best player available, I don't think there should be any doubt what name Rob Manfred is gonna call for the White Sox on July 11th.
Rok Cholowski is going to be the pick.
All of the signs are telling us a few weeks early.
