Valley native Roch Cholowsky taken 1st overall by White Sox in MLB Draft

The former Hamilton High School standout who starred in baseball and football landed with the Chicago White Sox at the top of the MLB Draft.

BY ASSOCIATED PRESS

Jul 11, 2026, 11:04 AM Updated: 1:59 pm

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PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Chicago White Sox selected UCLA shortstop and Valley prep product Roch Cholowsky on Saturday with the first pick of the MLB amateur draft.

A 6-foot-2 right-handed hitter, Cholowsky was a Golden Spikes finalist at UCLA and had a 1.088 OPS with 21 homers and 60 RBIs in his junior season.

He previously starred at Hamilton High School, where he finished his career as the No. 17 baseball prospect in the 2023 class, according to Perfect Game. He was also the No. 67 quarterback and No. 19 Arizona prospect in 247 Sports’ composite ranking for football.

Cholowsky led Hamilton to state titles in both sports in 2022 as a junior, and he added a second baseball title as a senior.

He won Gatorade Arizona Baseball Player of the Year in 2023 when he slashed .466/.577/.970 with 11 home runs and 35 RBIs.

The White Sox got the No. 1 pick after they lost 102 games last season and won the draft lottery and have pegged Cholowsky as a future star that can help them win their first World Series title since 2005.

The White Sox had the top selection for the first time since taking Harold Baines in 1977.