UCLA Shortstop Top Prospect in 2026 MLB Draft

UCLA sophomore shortstop Roch Cholowsky put the nation on notice during the 2025 season, and he is now projected to be the No. 1 prospect taken in the 2026 MLB Draft.

CBS Sports' R.J. Anderson produced a 2026 MLB Draft primer detailing some of the most notable names ahead of next year's draft, and Cholowsky was No. 1 on his list.

"A lot can change by the time February rolls around, but Cholowsky is the early favorite to enter next spring atop my draft rankings," Anderson wrote.

"He's a fluid athlete (he was recruited to play quarterback at Notre Dame) with a good feel for both the position and the game overall. (I'm certain scouts took notice when he pushed a bunt through Iowa's infield and legged out a double during the Big Ten tournament.) Cholowsky isn't just a plus glove and set of wheels at a premium position: he's a compelling offensive prospect, too, as evidenced by him leading UCLA in home runs, average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage -- all while walking 15 more times than he struck out. Again, there's a lot of road between now and February, but I consider Cholowsky to be in the lead."

Cholowsky was a star this college baseball season, being awarded Big Ten Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, the Brooks Wallace Award, District 9 Player of the Year, Perfect Game USA Player of the Year, Baseball America Player of the Year, D1Baseball Player of the Year, ABCA First Team All-American honors, Baseball America First Team All-American honors, NCBWA Second Team All-American honors, finalist for the Dick Howser Trophy and semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award, all in his sophomore season.

Much of UCLA's lineup is riddled with freshmen and sophomores, and this team will be primed for an even deeper run than it went on in June.

Savage wasn't shy about praising Cholowsky whenever he had the chance in Omaha despite a stretch where the shortstop didn't have an extra base hit all postseason.

"He’s as good a player we’ve had. We’ve had some monster players," Savage said. "We’ve got 30 major leaguers. So I think he’s gotten on a path of that route. He’s just a winning kid. His feel for the room, his feel for his teammates, his feel for games. His IQ, baseball IQ is extremely high.

“We had one of the best American shortstops over the last 15 years in Brandon Crawford. He was a phenomenal shortstop. [Cholowsky] reminds me of him on the defensive side. They love playing defense. They love being the quarterback. They love handling that 9-on-1 proposition. You don’t see many guys who are defensive players of the year that are also the player of the year.

“That goes back to special guys, over 20 hit-by-pitches, walks. Just playing the game. He just plays the game to win. So I think it just rubs off on other guys. It takes the selfishness off some guys and gets them unselfish. At the end of the day he’s just a winning player. He’s been very loyal to UCLA. He played third base last year. He hit over .300. Had a good freshman year.

“But at the same time, he’s a true potential major league shortstop. We’re lucky to have him, but he certainly is one of the guys. He’s a leader, but at the same time he’s a true Bruin. At the end of the day, all he cares about is winning.”

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