Welcome to our inaugural edition of the White Sox draft report!
Throughout the 2026 NCAA and high school baseball seasons, we’ll be tracking top prospects, like Roch Cholowsky and Justin Lebron, who have the chance to be selected first overall by the Sox in this year’s draft. We’ll also highlight several other notable performances and names with ties to the organization as the season unfolds.
Without further ado, here’s a recap from Opening Weekend.
Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA
MLB Pipeline Ranking: 1
Friday, February 13
- 1-for-4, 2B, BB, 2 R
The top prospect in this year’s draft class stole the show early in Friday night’s 8-4 win thanks to his defense. Cholowsky flashed the leather in the top of the fourth inning, when he made a ridiculous over-the-shoulder grab with his back to the ball.
The shortstop later got his lone hit of the night with a long double to left-center field in the eighth inning.
Saturday, February 14
- 2-for-4, HR, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R, K
Cholowsky put his power on display early in Saturday’s contest, first-pitch swinging in his first at-bat for his first home run of the season.
UCLA’s shortstop also doubled to right-center field in another win, 7-2.
Sunday, February 15
- 1-for-4, BB, R
Roch closed out the weekend by adding a single to his total.
Weekend Stats: 4-for-12, 1 HR, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 5 R
Grady Emerson, SS, Fort Worth Christian (TX)
MLB Pipeline Ranking: 2
Ranked as the No. 2 prospect in the 2026 Draft Class, Grady Emerson is already building his case for a possible 1-1 selection. The high schooler out of Texas has put together some strong offensive games, recently highlighted by Thursday night’s doubleheader, where he went 6-for-7.
Stats and highlights are a little harder to come by, but we’ll try our best to follow his performances throughout the year.
Justin Lebron, SS, Alabama
MLB Pipeline Ranking: 3
Friday, February 13
- 1-for-3, HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 2 SB, R
Ranked as the No. 3 prospect in this year’s draft, Lebron appears to be Cholowsky’s main challenger for the top overall pick and proved why this weekend. The righty started off the season opener by walking twice and stealing a pair of bases before taking a 91 mph pitch the other way for his first homer of the season.
Saturday, February 14
- Game 1: 0-for-4, BB, R
- Game 2: 2-for-4, HR, RBI, 4 R, SB
Shortly after Cholowsky matched Lebron’s home run total, the Alabama shortstop regained the slight edge by going deep in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader. The no-doubter to left field helped contribute to the Crimson Tide’s 11-1 win in seven innings.
Weekend Stats: 3-for-11, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 6 R, 3 BB, 3 SB
Drew Burress, OF, Georgia Tech
MLB Pipeline Ranking: 5
Friday, February 13
- 0-for-4, BB, K
Saturday, February 14
- Game 1: 1-for-4, 2 RBI, 2 R, K
- Game 2: 2-for-5, 2 2B, RBI, K
The No. 5 draft prospect in the 2026 class, Burress had a quiet first game but joined Tech’s offensive explosion in Saturday’s doubleheader. Though Cholowsky and Lebron are the most likely names to land with the White Sox at No. 1 overall, we’ll still keep tabs on Burress throughout the year.
Weekend Stats: 3-for-13, 2 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R, 1 BB, 3 K
Other Notable Names
Myles Bailey, 1B, Florida State
Myles Bailey, the White Sox’s 20th-round pick in the 2024 draft, is a name to watch this season. He wasted no time getting on the board in Friday’s opener, launching a moonshot on the very first pitch.
Austin Pierzynski, C, UAB
Like father, like son. Austin Pierzynski, son of A.J., showed off his arm by gunning down a Florida baserunner on a delayed steal in Friday night’s matchup.
Joseph Contreras, RHP, Blessed Trinity (GA)
Right-handed pitcher Joseph Contreras, son of Jose, showed off his mid-90s fastball in a recent outing for his Georgia high school, along with impressive offspeed. He owned a final line of 3.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, and 5 K.
The 17-year-old Vanderbilt commit is ranked as this year’s 47th-best prospect by MLB Pipeline, which could be something to monitor as the White Sox also hold the 41st and 77th picks. He is set to appear for Team Brazil in next month’s World Baseball Classic.
Follow us on social media @PipelineTo35th and @SoxOn35th for more!
Featured Photo: UCLA Baseball/X
