Predraft visit to Chicago had Cholowsky hoping for call from White Sox

When the White Sox first invited Roch Cholowsky to visit Chicago ahead of the MLB Draft, the UCLA shortstop wasn't sure he even wanted to get on the plane.

It turned out to be the trip of a lifetime, for both sides, and led to Cholowsky packing his bags for the South Side after being selected with the first overall pick on Saturday.

As Cholowsky recounted his reluctant visit to Chicago, it wasn't so much that he didn't want to be picked by the White Sox. More that he wasn't sure there was any point in going.

“I'd never been to Chicago,” Cholowsky said on a Zoom call with reporters. “I was very hesitant to go out there, because I didn't know what I was getting myself into. But the second I got off the flight, Josh Barfield picked me up from the airport, I was wide-eyed the entire week.”

Maybe if the Big Ten schedule-makers had sent UCLA to play a road series at Northwestern this spring instead of USC, Cholowsky would have had a different perspective. But he experienced not only the city, but the new winning attitude of the White Sox.

Cholowsky got to talk shop with hitting coordinator Ryan Fuller, had lunch with pitcher Noah Schultz, and sat down with chairman Jerry Reinsdorf, which he called “probably the highlight of the trip.”

The itinerary concluded with a game, which happened to be the night of Braden Montgomery's MLB debut and walk-off home run against Atlanta on June 9.

“When I was leaving the field after Montgomery's walk-off, I told them I wish I could have stayed for another week,” Cholowsky said. “I walked around Chicago (the first night) until 2 a.m., just trying to understand what it's all about.

“Walked again for five more hours before the game. Being able to go to the game, meet everybody, see the stadium, meet the players, see the dynamic. The next morning, I called my agent and told him that's where I wanted to be. He's got to do whatever he can to make it work.”

It didn't come together until closer to draft day. Cholowsky said the White Sox told him a few days ago he was the guy they were focused on, but the two sides needed to work out a financial agreement. According to reports, the White Sox asked Cholowsky to sign for less than the $11.35 million bonus slotted for the No. 1 overall pick, so they could use the savings to land some high schools stars later in the draft.

Whatever the exact numbers, Cholowsky said he got a call form his agent on Saturday morning to say the deal was done.

“I got myself a hotel room around the corner from my house just because I was stressed out and worried about what was going to happen,” Cholowsky said. “I felt very tied to Chicago ever since I went out there. It was just where I wanted to be. I was worried about that not working out on their end.

“(After getting the news,) I was jumping around my hotel room. There were a lot of tears, and I was just excited to get here and share the moment with everybody.”

Cholowsky went back home and said he didn't tell anyone what he knew. He wanted friends and family to hear about it on television, which led to another wave of emotions.

“The tears were all happy tears,” he said. “I'm very excited to be a part of it. I fell in love with the city while I was out there and I'm very excited to get back.”

The Sox acknowledged it was a close call between Cholowsky, high school infielder Grady Emerson from Fort Worth, Texas; and Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey. Emerson went No. 2 to Tampa Bay, and Lackey third to Minnesota.

“You could make an argument for any of them,” general manager Chris Getz said. “When we got to know Roch, this felt like the best fit. We had people that met Roch Cholowsky and felt so comfortable with him, they didn't even need to watch him play.”

Cholowsky is a two-time Big Ten player of the year. Defense is his highest-rated skill, while he hit 23 and 21 home runs in his sophomore and junior years at UCLA.

He's a native of Chandler, Ariz., and went to the same high school as Cody Bellinger. Cholowsky's father Daniel played in the minors and now scouts for the Cincinnati Reds.

The White Sox have some history with Cholowsky, from his time as a high school draft prospect before deciding to attend college. The college atmosphere of the Sox clubhouse was another key selling point.

“The clubhouse dynamic — seeing how much fun those guys had, how much they enjoy seeing other guys succeed,” Cholowsky said. “The fun banter, coming up and treating me like I was one of them. It just seemed like everybody liked everybody.”

A first place team with the No. 1 overall pick — what's not to like?