The White Sox went into the 2026 draft with the No. 1 overall pick and immediately took UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky, a polished college bat who's expected to move fast through the system. That would've been a fine headline on its own. Instead, Chicago kept going, and their second-round pick is turning into the more interesting story of the week.
Jim Callis broke the news that the White Sox signed second-rounder Cole Prosek, a Mississippi high school third baseman/catcher, for $3.25 million. That's well over a million dollars above the assigned slot value of $2,446,100 for pick No. 41, which tells you exactly how badly Chicago wanted this bat off the board and locked in before he could reroute to campus.
2nd-rder Cole Prosek signs w/@WhiteSox for $3.25 million (slot 41 value = $2,446,100). Mississippi HS 3B/C, one of very best prep bats in @MLBDraft, sweet lefty swings always seems to be on time, 20-25 HR potential, catching possibility adds intrigue. @OleMissBSB recruit.
Prosek isn't some project. Callis described him as one of the very best prep bats in this draft class, with a sweet lefty swing that always looks like it's on time, plus the kind of raw power that projects to 20-25 home runs down the line. The fact that he can catch as well as play third only adds to the intrigue — teams love optionality with a bat this good, and it gives the White Sox front office multiple paths to get him in the lineup.
He was an Ole Miss commit, which made this signing anything but a guarantee. Prosek had a real, attractive alternative in Oxford, and paying above slot is exactly how you convince a kid with a college scholarship offer that pro ball is the better move right now instead of three years from now.
Pairing a college-ready shortstop at No. 1 with a monster prep bat at No. 41 is the kind of draft that can quietly reshape a farm system. The White Sox have been rebuilding for a while now, and drafts like this one are the actual evidence of progress — not standings, not free agency splashes, just stacking talent and betting on upside. Prosek won't be in Chicago for years, but scouts already pegging him for middle-of-the-order power is the type of projection that gets fans excited about a farm system they otherwise have no reason to watch closely.
What happens next is pretty simple: Prosek reports to short-season ball, and the development clock starts. Given the power projection and the two-position flexibility, where the White Sox ultimately settle him defensively will be one of the more worthwhile storylines to track out of the system over the next couple of years.