White Sox Utilize Record Bonus Pool and Organizational Strengths in 2026 Draft
via MLB PR
The Chicago White Sox 2026 draft class has earned stellar reviews from publications and while melancholy never sets in immediately; club officials are elated by what their record setting $21 million in bonus space afforded them throughout the process. They landed the best player in the class, multiple seven figure preps, college pitching and power throughout the two day event. With great power, comes great responsibility however.
This was Mike Shirley’s 7th draft as the director of amateur scouting. While he’s been in draft rooms with the White Sox since 2001, he noted that he’s never been tasked with such a substantial responsibility. Shirley lauded the efforts of senior director of baseball operations Dan Fabian; who has been employed by the organization for decades.
There was reminiscing about times when the full draft pool was around $4 million overall. A respect level for ownership and Jerry Reinsdorf in particular was detailed. While there’s a storied history of questionable spending, the White Sox have spent over their bonus pool regularly in the bonus pool era. “We want to do our absolute best and we’re grateful for the opportunity”, said Shirley.
The White Sox entered the 2026 draft with the largest bonus pool of all time and were able to push that number north of $21 million overall with the 5% overage allocation. A pre-draft deal that netted the club the 34th overall selection in exchange for former first rounder Jacob Gonzalez and lefty reliever Brandon Eisert was an essential piece of the puzzle.
It’s fair to wonder if that deployment of resources and potential trade capital was the best strategy but general manager Chris Getz explained the club’s reasoning for the pact. “We made the decision to insert more talent in the draft to set up for future decisions,” said Getz. “We wanted to maximize this draft. We felt like this was a draft to get creative and add picks and value and pool money to the draft, so when the draft day is done tomorrow, that we felt really good about where the organization sits, where our farm system is and sets us up for the future.”
Multiple scouts have told FutureSox that they’ve never felt more aligned as a staff than they have under Chris Getz’s leadership. It’s a collection of different roles and titles but post-draft media sessions have highlighted the contributions of scouts in addition to members of the front office.
Ryan Fuller (director of hitting) and Brian Bannister (senior advisor to pitching) have been instrumental. Josh Barfield (assistant general manager), Carlos Rodriguez (assistant general manager), David Keller (special assistant; international scouting) and Paul Janish (director of player development) have served in multiple capacities.
Geoff Head (director of sports performance) and Matt Grabowski (acquisitions) seem extremely noteworthy as well. Former top overall pick Phil Nevin (special assistant) and Gene Watson (director of player personnel) were tossed around admirably too as major contributors to the group.
Getz has built a modern front office in his short time running the Chicago White Sox. It’s a welcome change and outsiders have taken notice. It equipped the organization with the ability to operate decisively in regards to the 2026 amateur draft. Allowing ESPN’s Jesse Rogers to document the biggest decision by the group could go a long way in benefiting the organization in the future as well.
White Sox Land the Draft’s Top Player
After months of consternation and speculation, it was revealed that the White Sox wanted Roch Cholowsky and he came to want them as well. The 21-year-old shortstop was seen as the consensus top option in the class dating back to the 2025 college season and the former UCLA star basically went wire to wire as the top dog unscathed. The organization looked at their options and did their due diligence on other avenues but once it was time for a decision to get made, the obvious call came to fruition.
Roch Cholowsky has drawn comparisons to former Colorado Rockies infielder Troy Tulowitzki among others but he’ll be a top 20 prospect in the sport for most publications immediately regardless of comps. The White Sox agreed to terms with their top choice prior to the selection and the signing bonus will shatter the previous record with a new mark of $10.35 million.
Our Adrian White detailed what the franchise is getting in Cholowsky back on draft day. The 6-2, 202 pounder hit .329/.448/.624 in college with 52 homers in 178 games for the Bruins. The narrative that he’s just a high floor defensive prospect with a maxed out toolset became a tired one throughout a process that essentially went as planned for the White Sox and their decision makers.
There was some discourse tied to wood bat success, lofty expectations not being met and struggles against top competition but Getz noted those things as just part of the evaluation process while citing metrics that the front office felt comfortable with. “We looked under the hood and there was still a lot of consistency with underlying numbers,” said Getz. “At the end of the day, we were most comfortable with Roch Cholowsky with our first pick regardless of the signing bonus.”
“Whether it be myself or Ryan Fuller, we talk about decision-making scores and contact scores and power scores, it was pretty close to being on par for what he had done in the past,” Getz stated in regards to the junior season. “When you break down the swing, there are some things that need to be adjusted at some point. He’s open minded and excited to dive in on his offensive game. We felt like if we unlock that, we’ve got an even better player then where he currently is.”
The White Sox believe in the plus defensive ability at shortstop while also feeling confident that the hitting development infrastructure installed under Ryan Fuller will bring out the best in the player. With some tweaks, Cholowsky could be a plus defensive shortstop with leadership traits who also hits 30 homers annually in the big leagues. Both parties appear ready to get to work.
“I felt very tied to Chicago ever since I went out there, it’s where I wanted to be,” Cholowsky said “I was worried about it not working out. Getting the call from my agent that him and Getz were able to work something out today, I was jumping around my hotel room. There were a lot of tears.”
Mike Shirley felt like Ryan Fuller’s meeting with Cholowsky had an impact on the overall process as well. “The visit he had here was pretty substantial in meeting with hitting director Ryan Fuller, understanding the comprehension of how much he understands his swing, the plan we think we can go with was pretty special,” said Shirley. “How he handled the whole process, you see the professionalism he brings to the table. That was the driver of the engine this player is going to be better as we move forward.”
“We had all the same opinions about my play, my swing and my offensive side of the game, and he kind of told me all the things they did for guys that were in similar shoes,” said Cholowsky, in regards to his meeting with Fuller.
The White Sox and Roch Cholowsky are excited to get to work together as one of the top prospects in all of baseball will soon get acclimated and start his likely ascension to playing in the big leagues.
White Sox Procure Multiple Prep Talents
Even after handing out the largest draft bonus in history, the White Sox inked five more players to seven figure deals including four prep players. The club values the high school talent in the range of the top 70 players in the draft class with their wallet speaking rather emphatically in that regard. The Landon Thome rumors have run rampant since he emerged as one of the best prep hitters in Illinois while starring at Nazareth Academy in La Grange.
Tyler Jennings at Just Baseball ranked Landon Thome as the #62 overall player in the class but he checked in higher for Baseball America and MLB Pipeline. The White Sox seemingly had some intel that he wouldn’t make it to #41 overall which prompted the club to prioritize the 6-0, 185 pounder with their second selection. Thome has bloodlines, lives in the Midwest and played on the White Sox’s Area Codes Team. He’s obviously been lauded for his baseball IQ and makeup as well.
“There was nothing surprising, let’s put it that way,” said Getz when referring to his home visit with Thome. “We’ve known Landon for a long time. We know the Thome family and what they are about, we love to dive in. We know it’s important to dive into support systems and what you are getting from a player and to know what we are getting with Landon, we are very confident he’s going to reach his ceiling because of how he was raised.”
Outlets have noted that Thome’s left-handed bat could produce a plus hit tool with above-average power but his Hall of Fame father wasn’t fully grown at the same age either which could indicate a power uptick to come. The Illinois High School Player of the Year has shown pitch recognition skills with bat to ball ability and hard contact rates.
Mike Shirley clarified that he likely won’t stay at shortstop with a move to second or third base on the horizon but the scouting boss said that, “we think the kid can really hit”. Shirley is also on record as wanting to keep Chicago area kids in the organization if the scouting staff believes in the player.
Referring to an interview with the 18-year-old local product, Shirley noted that Thome said, “I will do my absolute best to raise the flag in Chicago”. “That’s his goal”, Shirley said. “He wants to bring a championship here”. “He has answered the bell on makeup, the person and the ability”, said Shirley. “His hit tool will be right. We trust the player.”
Cole Prosek is a 19-year-old infielder from Magnolia Heights, Mississippi and he was one of the best players on the summer circuit last year. The 6-1, 195 pounder possesses one of the best hit and power combinations in the prep class. Ranked as the #31 overall prospect at Just Baseball, the White Sox saw things similarly after inking the left-handed hitter to a $3.2 million bonus; equivalent to the 30th overall pick in the draft.
“To be able to bring in Landon [Thome], one of the top left-handed high school bats, in addition to Prosek as well, we felt they were the best high school left-handed bats remaining in the draft,” Chris Getz stated. “Very excited about Prosek, excited about getting him as well. He’s a special young bat with power, he’s caught before, he plays infield. Once again, left-handed. You’ve heard how much we value left-handed bats here.”
Prosek has a polished offensive game with a smooth left-handed swing. He was one of the best prep hitters in the country this year and he clubbed 18 homers in 41 games. He’s a below-average runner but the hit and power combo is tantalizing. The 19-year-old would’ve been sophomore eligible in the 2028 draft and was the MVP of the Perfect Game All-American classic last July in addition to being named Mississippi High School Player of the Year.
“We are willing to take the risk for the bat speed and intent,” said Mike Shirley. “The Prosek guy was a guy the scouts were jumping up and down around. You watch some of the patterns. I hate to do these comps, watch him look like Bryce Harper, how he moves. The bat is significant.” It was mentioned by Shirley that assistant director Garrett Guest and former #1 overall pick Phil Nevin were essentially pounding the table for this player.
At the MLB Combine, Prosek posted a 105 mph 90th percentile exit velocity. He caught some in high school as well but the White Sox don’t envision heading down the path in professional baseball. “The preference is going to be to see what second base looks like”, said Shirley. He acknowledged that it could be third ultimately. “We just think it’s a special hitter. Lets give him the runway to be special,” said Shirley.
The White Sox followed up the left-handed bats with two-way player Alex Weingartner out of St. Augustine Prep School in Berlin, New Jersey. The #87 overall player for Just Baseball went in the sixth round and signed for $1.4 million which equates to the 64th overall pick in the draft. The 6-2, 198 pounder throws 95 mph on the mound but appears to be focused on center field going forward.
The right-handed hitter could be a plus defender in center field. The 18-year-old is a twitchy athlete with strength who has displayed solid exit velocities. The hitting ability lends some questions as the White Sox were happy with Weingartner’s decision making and power during the scouting process. He also shows double plus speed and plays aggressively on the bases.
During the Super 60 event, Weingartner broke the 60 meter dash record and he registered some triple digits throws from the outfield. “This guy was an elite tester at the combine”, said Shirley. “The bat speed, the power and force production”. “I think he had the third fastest time at the combine”.
In reference to that combine number, Shirley noted that Weingartner had given blood the day before running as part of his physical examination. Multiple people stated since that the prep standout would’ve run the fastest time if he didn’t lose the extra blood prior.
Shirley also referenced seeing Weingartner pitch in the New Jersey state championship game. “We’re talking about a special athlete”, said Shirley. “The kid and the makeup are right. Ryan Fuller was really big behind the decision as well because he feels like the swing has the traits we’re looking for in terms of contact, decisions and damage”.
The White Sox see Kyle Casteel as a mid-rotation starter who was valued as a third round pick. They waited until the 11th round to select the Butler, Pennsylvania product to save $150,000 against the pool but his signing bonus of $1.25 million is equivalent to that of the 69th overall selection. His feel for pitching and arm strength suggests a high ceiling is possible.
The 6-4, 205 pounder was committed to West Virginia with size, projection and pitchability. Casteel possesses a fastball in the 92-95 mph range and he lowered his arm slot this spring to generate more horizontal movement. His slider could also become a true “out pitch” with three-quarter shape, depth and bite. There are the makings of a changeup for the future as well.
Casteel displays solid command and control and there should be more physicality to come as the 18-year-old fills out his frame. The righty gets premium extension on the mound as well and White Sox decision makers are quite excited about what he can be. Former big league veteran Matt Clement has been the prepster’s coach in high school as well.
“I feel good about the security of the three pitches,” said Shirley. “What’s the effort level, he does it really easy, the arm looks clean, the direction and the delivery work right. His ability to constantly navigate the strike zone, it’s fastball command, it’s the ability to go up and down, north and south with the breaking ball he lands, he understands quadrants with his fastball. And then the change-up has got the chance to neutralize left-handers.”
Shirley mentioned that there was some debate in the room for round 11 and how to deploy their resources with Chris Getz involved in the process as well. “When you’re going to pay the type of money we paid for a high school pitcher in that section of the draft, you want to feel like he has the attributes to work, [Brian Bannister] gave his stamp of approval on it, he became a target,” Shirley said.
“There was a tough decision, there was another player we were considering doing, Chris was involved with this decision, to finalize was it going to be a position player or a pitcher, and we were exhaustive with it. A lot of conversations leading up to the decision. And that’s what I mean – Chris, Josh [Barfield], all the AGMs, Carlos [Rodriguez] got involved in the decisions. We just decided to go with the pitcher,” said Shirley.
College Starters and Unique Profiles for White Sox
“The big piece of the puzzle on the pitch front today was Kyle Casteel”, said Shirley. “It was an important move we made today because we believe in the strikes, the stuff and the makeup. We like the upside”. Shirley really credited Midwest crosschecker JJ Lally and area scout JD Heilmann on the addition; the latter of which was lauded for his sterling evaluations since joining the organization and his long history as a college pitching coach.
Shirley has often noted that there’s an arms race while discussing the sheer number of pitchers added in previous drafts. Things have shifted more toward offense of late for the organization but starting pitching is always an area of need and insulating a high ceiling draft class with college arms was a priority. In the third round, Georgia’s Joey Volchko was the pick for the White Sox.
The #52 overall player in the class for Just Baseball received a $1.2 million bonus after posting a 3.68 ERA with 119 strikeouts and 46 walks in 95 innings this season. The 6-4, 225 pounder was dynamic this spring and even posted a 15 strikeout game in the College World Series. Prior to his time with the Bulldogs, Volchko posted a 5.89 ERA in two seasons at Stanford.
Volchko has shown consistent mid 90’s velocity with a fastball that has reached 101 mph. The 21-year-old has a cut fastball but it has gotten hit too often as an amateur. He also throws a tight upper 80’s slider that has added more sweep under Wes Johnson’s program at Georgia. There’s a low 90’s changeup and low 80’s curveball in the arsenal as well but it was mostly a two-pitch mix in college.
“From Brian Bannister’s perspective, he feels like he can continue to build pitchers out with all the sequencing stuff they do, all the changes to the repertoire,” Shirley said. “With Joey, we think some of those things have to get a little better. So we unlock what he does, something going right, because he has a tendency to make the ball go left, to make it in simple terms, pretty significantly.”
Shirley called Volchko “a monster” despite some of the warts. The hurler struggles to throw strikes consistently and he must develop a changeup to have any chance at starting in the big leagues. He has the frame, athleticism and quick arm to make it a worthwhile venture though. The White Sox have had success creating changeups for other supinators in the organization and Volchko is seen as a winning player and plus competitor.
The White Sox believe that the third rounder has a chance to pitch at the front half of a future rotation with a pretty high floor as a premium, leverage reliever if starting becomes more dream than reality. In continuing the run on college pitching, the club grabbed Oregon State’s Eric Segura and Oregon’s Cal Scolari in successive rounds. Segura was seen as a “data darling” who would be taken higher than his public rankings.
That part came true as the White Sox selected Segura in the fourth round and paid him essentially slot value. The 6-2, 205 pounder posted a 2.22 ERA in 15 starts with 82 strikeouts and 27 walks in 73 innings. The 21-year-old ran his fastball up to 97 mph this spring with a 32% Whiff rate on the pitch. The 21-year-old was completely transformed at Oregon State this year after pitching out of the bullpen as a sophomore.
The fastball is a sinker that the club believes can be a real weapon. “Banny [Brian Bannister] thinks he’s a seam-effects guy”, said Shirley. “The seam-effect sinker could allow to the package to really take off”. There’s also a low 80’s sweeper with a mid 80’s changeup in the pitch profile. Segura gets lots of groundballs and the stuff and feel has greatly improved with legitimate offerings.
The White Sox started off day two with Scolari. “We think Scolari’s definitely a starter, has been a Friday guy at Oregon. Been a pretty good piece of the puzzle, that’s definitely something we can believe in,” said Shirley. The 6-4, 220 pounder posted a 3.32 ERA with 85 strikeouts and 35 walks in 57 innings this spring. The 22-year-old transferred to Oregon from San Diego and has added twenty pounds in the process.
Scolari has a Tommy John surgery in the rear-view and he’s much more physical now. The righty averages 94 mph on his fastball and has pushed it to 98 mph after dropping his arm slot. There are some command issues with a “pronounced bucket step with the front foot” as evidenced by Tyler Jennings of Just Baseball. He ranked him as the #207 overall player in the class.
The fastball is a bat misser with cut/ride shape and his breaking balls are bat missing offerings as well. Scolari’s mid 80’s slider could be a plus pitch and there’s an upper 70’s curveball too. “There were multiple pieces, multiple people in the room that really believed. We had some tough choices to kick the day off, when we were exhaustive with our search and how we wanted to start our day and we did settle on Scolari,” said Shirley.
The White Sox added some funky profiles in the class as well and Shirley stated that “finding unique traits” are a requirement under Brian Bannister. Shirley noted that the organization’s research and development department really pushed for Oregon State righty Isaac Yeager. He signed for $150K in the 14th round after posting a 2.04 ERA with a WHIP under 1 in 39.2 innings this season. Yeager is 6-6, 254 pounds with a fastball up to 96 mph.
Coastal Carolina has become a trend for the franchise as well and righty Darin Horn was the selection in the 16th round. The 23-year-old has posted an ERA under 1.50 over the last three seasons for the Chanticleers. The 6-4, 200 pounder struck out 93 and walked 24 in 67.1 innings this spring. Longtime area scout Kevin Burrell noted that Horn has a “heavy 70 life sinker” in the 88-92 mph range. The sweeper also gets 3200-3300 RPM from a slow slot angle.
Jackson Bergman is a 23-year-old from Indiana University who is currently rehabbing internal brace surgery on his right elbow. The sidearmer made three starts with the Hoosiers this spring after 23 starts with Toledo previously. The 6-6, 225 pounder has sidearm action, starting experience and pretty nasty stuff overall. The Sox also grabbed senior Luke Craytor out of West Virginia and the 6-5, 220 pounder has lively fastball/slider combo with 30 strikeouts in 25 innings this spring.
The White Sox took an upside swing in the 15th round with Oklahoma’s Cameron Johnson. Shirley called the southpaw the club’s “lottery ticket” on the pitching side. The 6-6, 256 pounder has pitched for LSU and Oklahoma after being one of the best prep prospects in the 2023 class. He still possesses physicality and raw stuff with a deceptive, crossfire delivery from a three-quarters slot. There is an extensive history of command issues however.
“This guy is one of the power left-handed arms in the game, to be honest with you,” Shirley said. “The strikes have been a little bit mischievous for him. He’s a big-time prospect out of high school. But we felt like it was worth the risk to take a chance with this.” Johnson ranked as the #297 overall prospect here at Just Baseball while slotting in at #250 for MLB Pipeline and #184 at Baseball America.
The 21-year-old probably has a future in relief if he reaches a desired outcome but the fastball is up to 99 mph with an upper 80’s changeup and low 80’s breaking ball. Tracking the progress of Cameron Johnson will be interesting under the White Sox’s player development staff.
White Sox Pounce on Power
In addition to Roch Cholowsky with the first overall pick in the draft, the White Sox also took seven more college hitters and all of them have 90th percentile exit velocities of 106 MPH or higher. The organization often talks about the three pillars of their hitting model in regards to decisions, contact and damage despite the fact that most franchises are also seeking out these things.
In recent drafts though, decision-making and contact took precedent over power. The White Sox made a left turn in this draft class. ‘The damage is something we’re chasing a little bit”, Shirley said. The scouting director referenced the success that the big league team is having and noted all of the power. The White Sox are 4th in the majors in homers but Shirley also noted the mix of supplmentary contact types as well.
Ryan Fuller and Sherman Johnson have installed a hitting infrastructure that the organization believes in. Big league hitting coach Derek Shomon has players thriving in Chicago. The scouting staff feels that the organization is in a great place to clean up approaches to make better swing decisions and attack. Shirley noted that even some of the high strikeout guys often make appropriate swing decisions.
Clay Burdette is a 6-2, 215 pound outfielder from Xavier who the White Sox paid $290K in the 7th round. The 22-year-old smacked 30 homers in his final two seasons for Xavier with 20 plus stolen bases while hitting .343/.438/.701. The right-handed hitter ranked as the #248 overall player in the class according to MLB Pipeline. Burdette possesses physicality and athleticism but there are definite hit tool concerns in the profile.
Mike Shirley noted that area scout J.D. Heilmann had been clamoring for the Musketeer all season. Further emphasizing the interdepartmental alignment of the current White Sox’s front office; David Keller’s opinion was willingly allayed by the scouting director as well. It was said that Keller watched a series between Xavier and Georgia Tech while coming away thinking that Burdette was the second best player on the field; outside of Vahn Lackey.
Burdette displays strength and athleticism with impressive exit velocities and bat speed. He possesses well above-average raw power but an aggressive approach without a propensity to take free passes has caused harm to the overall offensive game. He’s also a plus runner with a chance to stick in center field.
Braden Holcomb received a slightly over-slot bonus from the White Sox in the 12th round. The 6-4, 245 pound ranked as the #212 prospect in the class for Just Baseball. After a successful campaign in the Cape Cod League last year, the right-handed hitter slashed .352/.434/.621 this spring for Vanderbilt. He clubbed 14 homers while displaying a 90th percentile max exit velocity of 109 mph.
“He can hit it out of sight and he actually runs pretty good. We believe in the Vanderbilt pedigree. I do think that the power can function in both directions, from opposite gap to pull gap. We’ll see what he can do,” said Shirley.
Holcomb has well-above average power to all fields but he’s really aggressive and chases too often with a 30% miss rate. The physicality in this profile is evident however and despite playing some center field for the Commodores; he likely sticks in right field long-term.
Earning some similar comps to White Sox’s farmhand Anthony Depino; it wasn’t a surprise to see the organization nab Grayson Fitzwater. The 13th rounder ranked at #294 overall for Baseball America after posting a 1.223 OPS this season for the Virginia Military Institute. The 6-1, 215 pounder hits left-handed and smashed 62 college homers in his career. He’s probably a first baseman as a professional however.
Fitzwater is one of VMI’s best players ever after showing a selective approach consistently with impressive strength and power. Shirley noted that the 21-year-old had lots of fans in the room. “Yeah, the VMI bat, it was interesting. The area scouts are jumping up and down here in the Zoom call in the room,” said Shirley. “They are jumping up and down about the hitter. We really do think he can swing the bat.”
Jayson Jones has played for three schools but started to figure things out with Wichita State as a senior. The 6-2, 215 pounder hit .355/.430/.583 with 15 home runs in 58 games. Jones hit 52 college homers and he signed for $7,500 in round eight.
In the 10th round, the White Sox selected Fairfield outfielder Matthew Bucciero. The 6-2, 225 pounder hit 20 homers this spring and has 55 total in his four college seasons. With 90th percentile EV’s over 107 mph, Bucciero slugged .688 on the spring and he played for the Trenton Thunder in the MLB Draft League. The MAAC Player of the Year is the career leader in homers, RBI, walks and total bases at Fairfield.
The White Sox rounded out their draft class with BYU outfielder Crew McChesney and Minnesota State Mankato shortstop Jake Berkland late on day two. McChesney offers a speed and power combo and hit .307/.361/.584 this spring. The 6-0, 180 pounder is a no doubt center fielder with plus-plus run times and big time exit velocities. He hits left-handed and has some hit tool concerns.
Berklund is a 5-9, 155 pound shortstop who has recently played in the Northwoods League for the Wausau Woodchucks. At Minnesota State, the right-handed hitter slashed .366/.507/.614 with a 7.4% strikeout rate this spring. The infielder clubbed 11 homers and stole 22 bases as well. He was headed to Kansas next year.
In regards to the bats added, Shirley said, “If Ryan [Fuller] believes in it, if R&D [Research and Development] believes in it, the scout evaluation is strong, those are attack points for us”.
