​Roch Cholowsky’s price tag kept him out of the Major League Baseball draft in 2023 during his senior year at Chandler Hamilton High. Now, three years later, the UCLA shortstop could hear his name called first on Saturday, July 11. After earning top postseason honors by leading the Huskies to a second consecutive state title in 2023, Cholowsky made his college commitment so binding that he even set a figure on what it would take for him to sign and bypass UCLA to pursue pro baseball. Nobody selected him in the 2023 draft. “He turned down some money out of high school,” said Mike Woods, Cholowsky’s coach at Hamilton. “A lot of people were like, ‘Why did you do that?’” But Roch believed in himself. He felt he would outs fly more after a few years in college, and he was right. That’s what makes the story compelling—he backed himself, and he appears to have won.
Over three years at UCLA, Cholowsky’s development accelerated, putting him on the fast track for this year’s draft. On June 14, 2025, in Omaha, Nebraska, at Charles Schwab Field, Cholowsky, the Bruins’ shortstop wearing number 1, turned a double play against the Murray State Racers in the second inning, a moment captured by Steven Branscombe of Imagn Images. Most draft analysts project him to be selected within the first four picks, with some scenarios projecting him as high as No. 1. The Chicago White Sox hold the top pick in many projections. An ESPN mock draft has Cholowsky going No. 1 to the White Sox, while Bleacher Report has him at No. 2 to the Tampa Bay Rays. MLB’s official projections often place him in a tight race with Grady Emerson, an 18-year-old shortstop from Fort Worth, Texas, with Cholowsky holding the slight edge.
“I’m not too surprised,” Woods said. “I knew he could be a high pick, no doubt.” Cholowsky could become the sixth Hamilton graduate to reach the major leagues, with the most prominent example being outfielder Cody Bellinger, now with the New York Yankees. Cholowsky isn’t alone among former Arizona high school players who could hear their names called during the two-day draft. Left-handed pitcher Cole Carlon from Tempe Corona del Sol, now at Arizona State, is projected by MLB to go No. 30 overall to the Kansas City Royals, with ESPN placing him at No. 33 to the Rays. Another Arizona standout, Ezra McNaughton of Mesa Mountain View, who led BYU in nearly every offensive category last season, is also in play for the draft.
Arizona high school talent remains strong, including Jet Berry of Queen Creek, a switch-hitter who signed with Arizona State. ESPN lists Berry as the No. 174 draft prospect. If he doesn’t price himself out of the draft, Berry would be expected to go no later than the third round. Other Arizona players like Ryne Barker, Casteel’s third baseman, and outfielder Ryan Harwood from the same area—Barker, a Texas Tech signee ranked 181st by ESPN, and Harwood, a 6-foot-3, 220-pound power hitter considered a top-250 prospect—could also hear their names called in the draft.