Roch Cholowsky is officially a member of the Chicago White Sox organization.
After being selected first overall Saturday to open this year's MLB draft, Cholowsky signed for a $10.35-million bonus, Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline reports. That figure is a new record bonus for an MLB draftee, more than $1 million above the previous mark.
Roch Cholowsky's $10.35 million bonus from the @WhiteSox eclipses the former @MLBDraft record of $9.3 million set by Chase Burns & Charlie Condon in 2024. Here's a list of the largest bonuses in Draft history: pic.twitter.com/fWK29JzD79
— Jim Callis (@jimcallisMLB) July 13, 2026
Cholowsky's bonus is also $1.6 million below the first overall pick's slot value. As a result, the White Sox can spread those savings around the rest of their draft pool to bring even more talent into an already loaded farm system.
The 21-year-old rose to stardom as UCLA's lynchpin shortstop over the last three seasons. Cholowsky was named Big Ten Player of the Year in both 2025 and '26, received Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honors and the Brooks Wallace Award as the nation's best college shortstop in 2025, and finished as a finalist for the prestigious Golden Spikes Award earlier this year.
Cholowsky hit .320/.452/.636 with 21 homers, 60 RBIs, 36 walks, and 36 strikeouts over 60 games in 2026, helping the Bruins secure the No. 1 overall seed in the Division I baseball tournament.
The White Sox possessed the largest bonus pool ($20,489,500) of this year's draft.
