The White Sox’s 2026 draft class is already offering a little bit of everything: one top pick with a setback, a few lower-round bats flashing real pop, and some players still waiting for their first crack at affiliated action.
The biggest name, of course, is Roch Cholowsky. Chicago took him first overall, and after the hype around that debut, the news turned sour fast.
He suffered a wrist injury that will end his season. Before that happened, the White Sox had pushed him to High-A Winston-Salem, where he got into nine games and collected six hits for a .167 average.
The line looks light, but four of those hits went for extra bases, including his first home run, and he handled shortstop in every game. For a player who was expected to draw plenty of attention right away, that’s a tough break.
Still, the assignment itself says plenty about how the organization viewed his progress after the complex league.
Most of the other drafted players who have gotten into games are all in Low-A Kannapolis, and several have given the White Sox something to be encouraged about.
Braden Holcomb, a 12th-round pick, has been the loudest bat so far. He’s hit .325/.438/.675/1.113 across his first 11 games, splitting time between left field and DH, though he should see more time in the outfield going forward.
The power is already showing up: two home runs, plus two stolen bases. That kind of production could put him in line for a quick move to High-A if he keeps it going.
Another interesting start belongs to shortstop Jake Berkland, the Sox’s 19th of 20 picks. He’s posted an .815 OPS in his first 15 games, drawn 17 walks in just 57 plate appearances, and scored 12 runs despite collecting only nine hits. He hasn’t gone deep yet, but the on-base skills and speed are enough to make him a name worth tracking if this early pace holds.
Grayson Fitzwater, selected in the 13th round, has taken a more volatile route. He’s batting .221 over 25 games, but the power has been there: three homers, a triple, and three doubles.
The swing-and-miss is part of the package too, with 39 strikeouts. It’s the kind of profile that can swing hard in either direction, and Fitzwater has already shown both sides of it.
Then there’s Clay Burdette, the Sox’s 7th-round pick, who is the highest-drafted player currently active aside from Cholowsky. He’s slashing .270/.363/.506 in 24 games, and the most eye-catching number on the page is six triples. Burdette’s mix of speed and pop has been on full display.
Not everyone has gotten rolling. Jackson Bergman, a reliever, is also out after Indiana University announced in March that he would miss the season because of elbow surgery. And so far, none of the White Sox pitchers from this draft have been assigned to affiliates.
Crew McChesney, a 17th-round pick, played 19 games in Kannapolis but struggled to a .170/.267/.226 line. The White Sox have since moved him to their development list, a spot that lets the club keep working with a player without placing him on a roster. It gives him individualized attention while he tries to clean things up.
In Other News...
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White Sox Prospects Are Giving This Farm System Some Real Momentum
A little momentum in the White Sox farm system has been hard to miss lately, and a few of the organizations younger arms helped keep it rolling. David Sandlin, Grant Umberger and Fabian Ysalla combined to allow four earned runs over 16.1 innings while striking out 20 in recent minor league games, a stretch that gave the system a much-needed jolt across multiple levels.
Sandlin was sharp for the Triple-A Charlotte Knights, striking out 11 in a win, while Umberger delivered six innings with five strikeouts in a playoff-clinching victory for the High-A Winston-Salem Dash. Even the Single-A Kannapolis Cannon Ballers found a way to add to the mood, winning a close one with six stolen bases, while the Double-A Birmingham Barons had their game washed out by rain. [Read more 🡒]