Shortstop Roch Cholowsky, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 MLB draft, has agreed to a contract with the Chicago White Sox that will pay him a record $10.35 million signing bonus, according to multiple reports.
Cholowsky, 21, hit .320 with 21 homers and a 1.088 OPS for top-ranked UCLA this past season. He was the overwhelming favorite to go first overall, and the White Sox made things official at the July 11 draft in Philadelphia.
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“At the end of the day, we were most comfortable with Roch Cholowsky with our first pick, regardless of what the signing bonus was going to be,” White Sox GM Chris Getz said Saturday.
Cholowsky’s bonus tops the previous record of $9.25 million shared by Reds pitcher Chase Burns and Rockies slugger Charlie Condon in 2024.
The slot value for the top pick this year was $11,350,600.
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“We had interest in him in high school,” Getz said. “And then to be able to watch his college career unfold and see what he accomplished and the impact that he had on his teammates and that program and now to envision that type of influence within this organization is something that attracted us to select him at No. 1.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Reports: White Sox give No. 1 pick Roch Cholowsky record-setting bonus
