UCLA Baseball’s Roch Cholowsky is expected to be one of the first players off the board, if not the No. 1 overall pick, in the 2026 MLB Draft.
The 21-year-old shortstop was one of the best players in the country this past season and was a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award, which is granted to the top amateur baseball player in the nation.
As a ULCA alumnus, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is rooting for Cholowsky.
“I have met Roch. Great kid. My son is friends with him,” he said. “He’s obviously going to go high in the Draft, but I think what’s telling for me is he stuck around UCLA and didn’t chase the short money and the NIL. He committed to UCLA, stuck with coach Savage, and other guys followed.
“They had a chance to be the best in the country, came up short, but high-character player. He’s going to have a great baseball career.”
Roberts would obviously love for the opportunity to coach Cholowsky, but that is not happening with the Dodgers’ first pick coming at No. 40 overall.
A three-year starter at UCLA, Cholowsky helped lead the Bruins to a historic regular season in 2026. The team finished 48-6 overall and 28-2 in the Big Ten. It set a new program record and Big Ten conference record for regular-season wins.
UCLA also set the national record for the most consecutive weeks ranked No. 1, maintaining the ranking throughout the entire season.
Cholowsky played a big part in that success, batting .320/.452/.636 with 10 doubles, 21 home runs and 60 RBI in 60 games. He finished his career at UCLA batting .329/.448/.624 with 41 doubles, two triples, 52 home runs and 167 RBI across 178 games.
He is a favorite to be taken by the Chicago White Sox with the first overall pick in the Draft, but high school shortstop Grady Emerson is also a contender.
Dodgers 2026 MLB Draft overview
The 2026 MLB Draft begins Saturday, July 11, at 10 a.m. PT as part of All-Star Week festivities in Philadelphia.
The first day of this year’s MLB Draft will air live on NBC and Peacock, with additional coverage being provided by MLB Network, MLB TV, MLB+ and MLB.com throughout the day.
The Dodgers hold just six picks in the first 10 rounds, and a total of 16 selections overall. L.A.’s bonus pool for the 2026 MLB Draft is $3,951,900, which is the lowest bonus total in the league.
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