PHILADELPHIA — The White Sox created a logjam at shortstop when they selected UCLA captain Roch Cholowsky with the first pick of the MLB Draft on Saturday.
The announcement was delivered by commissioner Rob Manfred at a live event at the Philadelphia Convention Center carried nationally on NBC, which broadcast the first 10 picks.
The Sox, who won the draft lottery in December, opted for Cholowsky — who had a slash line of .329/.448/.624 for his three college seasons — over Texas high school shortstop Grady Emerson. Emerson went to the Rays, who had the No. 2 selection.
It turned out to be an embarrassment of riches for the Sox in the first round, as they also selected local favorite Landon Thome, the son of Hall of Famer Jim Thome, with the compensatory 34th pick they obtained in a trade Friday with the Pirates. The younger Thome is also a shortstop and played for Nazareth Academy in La Grange Park.
The elder Thome played four of his 23 seasons for the Sox (2006-09) and hit 134 of his 612 career home runs for them.
Cholowsky said in a Zoom call arranged by the team that there was mutual admiration between him and the Sox.
‘‘There was a mutual love between the two parties that I think made it easier for everybody,’’ Cholowsky said. ‘‘They expressed to me Thursday night that they wanted me to be the guy. They knew that I wanted to be there. It came down to whatever it came down to, but it really was a mutual desire for me to be here.’’
What did the Sox get in Cholowsky?
‘‘He has starred at UCLA,’’ TV analyst Robert Flores said. ‘‘He’s been captain for multiple years. It’s not going to take him very long to get to the big-league level. The White Sox currently have a very good shortstop in Colson Montgomery. That will eventually have to be worked out, but I know they’re thrilled to have Roch Cholowsky.’’
The fact the Sox already have a top young shortstop in Montgomery in their lineup obviously didn’t deter general manager Chris Getz and his staff from selecting Cholowsky, whom they perceived as the most talented player available.
In his first full season, Montgomery has 23 homers and 53 RBI but is batting only .222 in 89 games. He made his major-league debut on July 4 of last season and finished with similar numbers (21 homers, 55 RBI, .239 batting average in 71 games).
Cholowsky, 21, was born in the Phoenix area and played his high school ball at Hamilton High in Chandler, Ariz.
‘‘I modeled my game after a lot of people: Miguel Cabrera, Mike Trout, Brandon Crawford and Dansby Swanson,’’ Cholowsky said. ‘‘I was a big defensive fan. I loved watching guys on defense who all won Gold Gloves. I’m very comfortable on the defensive side of the ball.’’
The Sox evidently agreed.
‘‘You see a much stronger player; he’s more physically advanced,’’ Sox director of scouting Mike Shirley said before the draft. ‘‘He is foundational on the field with his habits, he’s a leader on the field [and] he has a very secure defense at shortstop. I think the power is real.’’
The surprising Sox, who are 49-45 and tied with the Guardians for first place in the American League Central, aren’t standing pat.
On Friday, they enhanced their draft portfolio by obtaining a competitive-balance pick (No. 34 overall) and left-hander Jaden Woods from the Pirates for left-hander Brandon Eisert and infielder Jacob Gonzalez. They assigned Woods, 24, to Triple-A Charlotte and used that pick to take Thome.
‘‘As we know, the White Sox have a very good farm system; they have a very good future,’’ Flores said. ‘‘But they have a very good present. They are fighting for a postseason berth right now. They are one of the great stories of 2026, so there’s a lot to like right now on the South Side but a lot to like moving forward.’’
Flores was asked when fans are going to see Cholowsky in an All-Star Game.
‘‘How about 2029 or 2030?’’ he said. ‘‘How about that?’’
Cholowsky didn’t disagree. He said he wants to sign a contract and get going
immediately. He said he’s ready to go.
‘‘You put yourself in a lot of big situations as an athlete,’’ he said. ‘‘There’s a lot I went through the last couple of years. Everything builds. Having those kind of moments are going to help me in my future. I’d love to play as much as I can this year in the minor leagues.’’