Hello, and welcome to the 2026 White Sox MLB draft tracker!
Below, you’ll find every pick the White Sox make, with links to our individual stories on site for the five picks in the first four rounds.
Right off the bat, the White Sox dispelled any notion that they would zag instead of zig, picking the longtime and near-universal No. 1 prospect in a top-heavy class, Roch Cholowsky.
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While last year was a “shortstop” draft, 2026 went hard for hitters, particularly outfielders (eight of the first 20 picks, and every pick from No. 5-9). Just three pitchers went in the Top 20, and just one arm (Jackson Flora, Giants, No. 4) before pick 18.
All of the first nine position player prospects this year (through pick No. 14) are shortstops. Getting deeper into the round, 12 of 21 picks were shortstops, still almost exclusively among position players.
On Day 2, the White Sox finally got their “first overall pick” vibe that shoulda/woulda been theirs in any other past draft, and at No. 106 did not quite take the top remaining talent on the board.
Note, all picks with breakout stories on site are linked below. Picks on Sunday (Rounds 5-20) who fall outside of MLB’s Top 250 without a truly distinguishing trait won’t have individual stories published on site, but merely will show up here on our tracker.
2026 MLB draft
Day 1: Saturday, July 11 (Rounds 1-4)
Noon-12:30 p.m. CT Preview show (NBC/Peacock)
12:30-1:30 p.m. CT Lottery picks 1-10 (NBC/Peacock)
1:30-3:30 p.m. CT Picks 11-40 (MLB Network, MLB.com, MLB.TV, MLB+)
3:30-6:45 p.m. CT Picks 41-135 (MLB.com, MLB.TV, MLB+)
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Day 2: Sunday, July 12 (Rounds 5-20)
10:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. CT Rounds 5-20 (MLB.com, MLB.TV, MLB+)
White Sox picks
First Round (No. 1) Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA
Cholowsky was the consensus No. 1 pick pretty much since the end of last year’s draft, with an MLB-ready bat and glove. We could see him in Chicago as soon as September.
Competitive Balance Round A (via Pirates) (No. 34) Landon Thome, 2B/3B, Nazareth Academy (Ill.)
The White Sox telegraphed this pick with last night’s trade, as Thome was falling right around this slot in predraft rankings and the club did not want to gamble on him falling to their second-round pick (No. 41). Thome is likely to shift off of his prep spot, shortstop, as his hitting and speed are more advanced than his glove. Thome will quickly join Nazareth teammate Jaden Fauske, taken by the Sox in the second round a year ago, in Low-A Kannapolis.
Second Round (No. 41) Cole Prosek, 2B, Magnolia Heights (Miss.) H.S.
Prosek was ranked as the No. 27 talent in the draft, meaning that the White Sox snagged a first-round talent about a dozen picks lower than they should have. He and Thome both might take a bit of an over-slot offer to sign, but the White Sox have oodles of bonus money to wave their way. Prosek is another bat-first talent who can hold his own defensively, and the 18-year-old (turns 19 in three days) packs a wrinkle into his game — he just started playing catcher this past season.
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Third Round (No. 77) Joey Volchko, RHSP, University of Georgia
The White Sox opt for an arm four picks in, grabbing this electric righty from Georgia. He’s a definite project, however, with some concerning contradictions: his mid-90s fastball (that can run up to 101 mph) has little movement and thereby is hittable, while his breaking stuff (splitter/change and curve) cannot be thrown for strikes. His upside remains a No. 2 or 3 starter, and the downside … not getting out of A-ball.
Fourth Round (No. 105) Eric Segura, RHP, Oregon State University
Segura is the first pick of the draft where the White Sox moved on a player ranked lower on the MLB draft board, as this righty was ranked just 196th by MLB Pipeline. Beyond this possibly being a cost-cutting pick to push some extra money at other selections, Segura seems to always outkick his coverage. He bulled his way into the Beavers rotation as a freshman hurler, and after a year in the pen ran with a rotation opportunity once more, improving his control and putting up a 2.22 ERA that was one of the 10 best in Division I.
Fifth Round (No. 137) Cal Scolari, RHP, University of Oregon
Scolari has significant injury history — TJS wiped out his high school senior and college freshman seasons — but brings a powerful fastball (running up to 98 mph) to the system. His background screams reliever, but his solid mechanics and pitch mix put Scolari in the running for rotation work when the time comes for his pro debut.
Sixth Round (No. 166) Alex Weingartner, OF, St. Augustine Prep (N.J.) H.S.
Weingartner was a pitcher/shortstop as a prep, but the White Sox are drafting him to man the outfield, with an arm for right and the speed for center. He’s so fast, he broke a 60-yard dash record at a showcase this past offseason. There are questions regarding his ability to catch up to higher velocity in the pros, so the White Sox will be working on shortening Weingartner’s swing.
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Seventh Round (No. 195) Clay Burdette, RF, Xavier University
Burdette has the raw tools of a first-day drafted player, but falls to Day 2 (and ranked just No. 248 by MLB) due to his swing-and-miss and selectivity issues. Evaluators see Burdette’s 50 Ks in 51 games in a baseball-soft conference like the Big East as a red flag. But otherwise, Burdette’s skills are off the charts, with 60 speed and some of the best exit velocities in all of Division I.
Eighth Round (No. 225) Jayson Jones, 3B, Wichita State University
It took eight rounds for the White Sox to pick a player outside of MLB’s Top 250, and that reason is easily explainable: transience, and contact issues. Jones has played at three schools in four college years, never fully realizing his preposterous raw power. He’s a value pick with amazing upside given his strong arm and raw power. Jim Callis on the MLB draft broadcast recalled Jones winning a high school home run derby at Coors Field and tabbed his raw power (hyperbolically?) as “at least 70 grade.”
Ninth Round (No. 255) Luke Craytor, RHRP, Virginia Tech University
After a mediocre career running to its very end in his 2026 senior season, Craytor came through in the clutch, seeing high-leverage time for the Hokies and jumping from like UDFA to a ninth round pick. He went 4-0 with two saves and a solid 3.16 ERA as a senior. His fastball can run up to 98 mph, although that velocity ticked down as he got deeper into his 25 2/3-inning season. But analysts love Craytor’s spin on both his slider and cutter, so he seems an ideal candidate for perfecting in the pitching lab.
10th Round (No. 285) Matthew Bucciero, OF, Farifield University
Bucciero is another four-year senior and value pick for the White Sox. He was the MAC Player of the Year, leading the conference with 20 homers and a .688 slugging percentage
The pool the White Sox will have to sign their first 10 picks is $20,489,500.
11th Round (No. 315) Kyle Casteel, RHSP, Butler (Pa.) H.S.
Casteel is an absolute steal for the White Sox, a third-fourth round talent secured in the 11th thanks to smarts and persistence. At 6´4´´, the 18-year-old has the size to add even more oomph to his mid-90s fastball (think Tanner McDougal, perhaps). He’s absolutely a starter at this point, with a strong slider as his secondary pitch and on the road to adding a solid change. Casteel might be the best pick of the entire draft for the White Sox, and for a team with the 1-1 that’s saying something.
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12th Round (No. 345) Braden Holcomb, OF, Vanderbilt University
13th Round (No. 375)
14th Round (No. 405)
15th Round (No. 435)
16th Round (No. 465)
17th Round (No. 495)
18th Round (No. 525)
19th Round (No. 555)
20th Round (No. 585)
