White Sox take 'super excited' ex-Hamilton star Roch Cholowsky No. 1

Roch Cholowsky became the first former Chandler Hamilton High School player to be taken No. 1 overall in the Major League Baseball draft.

The UCLA shortstop was first off the board on Saturday, July 11, taken by the Chicago White Sox.

“I fell in love with Chicago when I went out there a couple months back,” Cholowsky told Greg Amsinger on NBC during his draft party at Trophy Bar in Chandler.

“The people, the office, the players, it was everything I wanted in the draft. I’m super excited that I got all the people behind me with me. That was a big thing …

“I was solid in high school (but) I knew there was a lot to work on, and I thought that going to college really helped me.”

Cholowsky was a two-time Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year.

“I’m just so proud of him and happy for his family,” recently retired Hamilton coach Mike Woods said. “He made his dream come true.”

He wasn’t taken out of high school in 2023 because of the steep price tag he gave MLB teams on what it would take to sign him away from UCLA.

The 6-foot-2, right-handed hitting Cholowsky improved his stock during his three years at UCLA, becoming an expected top pick, drawing comparisons to Troy Tulowitzki. Cholowsky had a 1.088 OPS with the Bruins this past season.

“Drafting Roch today adds another standout talent and person of impressive character to this organization at absolutely the right time,” White Sox general manager Chris Getz said in a news release.

“Roch, his family and his support structure impressed us throughout the entire process, and his experience at UCLA certainly prepared him to take the next step as a professional.”

ESPN MLB draft expert Dan Mullen wrote in his analysis of Cholowsky:

“Cholowsky has been the wire-to-wire top prospect in this class and, despite late buzz about Grady Emerson and Vahn Lackey closing the gap, Chicago took the consensus No. 1 player on the board. While the knock is he might not have the superstar upside teams expect at the top of the draft, Cholowsky comes with a high floor and an All-Star ceiling with the bonus of being a potentially fast-mover for a surprise contender suddenly focused on now as much as the future.”

The top pick of the draft has a slot value of $11.3 million, according to MLB.com.

“The scouts asked for a number on what it would take (to sign out of high school),” Woods said. “Roch gave a number that was too high. The baseball draft isn’t always about who the best guys are, but who are the most signable for high school kids.

“Roch got a couple phone calls the day of the draft, and they said, ‘We’ll draft you here if you accept this.’ As the story goes, he said no to a couple of teams.”

Now, Cholowsky’s baseball dream has finally come true.

Richard Obert has been covering high school sports since the 1980s for The Arizona Republic. He also covers Grand Canyon University athletics and the Arizona Rattlers. To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at richard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter:@azc_obert

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: White Sox take ‘super excited’ ex-Hamilton star Roch Cholowsky No. 1