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1.) Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA
It’s been a prolific few years for Cholowsky, a high-profile Arizona prep shortstop who made it to UCLA and has blossomed into a premier college talent. Entering the season as the 1.1 favorite after a dominant sophomore campaign, he’s done little to dissuade that notion. While the top-line numbers aren’t as gaudy as they were last year, he’s still posted a prolific stat line with strong underlying contact, plate discipline, and exit velocities. In addition to the offensive output, his best trait is his defense, as he projects as a plus or better defensive shortstop with some of the smoothest actions in the class. There are some slight yellow flags offensively if you want to nitpick (and he’s been high profile enough for so long that prospect fatigue and nitpicking has fully set in): He can fish at sliders below the zone, and his unconventional swing—in which he coils his body before methodically uncoiling seemingly limb by limb—could render outcomes where he struggles to catch up to high velocity or get the barrel out in front of the plate enough to pull balls in the air at a high rate. However, even in these bad offensive outcomes, his defensive profile should buoy the floor enough where he is a notable big leaguer, and the good outcomes likely resemble something like Dansby Swanson, a former 1.1 himself who turned into a two-time All-Star and will make over $200 million in his career. It’s as complete of a profile you’ll find in the draft with a strong floor and ceiling, and that puts him at the top of the list.
