Roch Cholowsky Leads ESPN's MLB Draft Prospect Rankings for 2025 College World Series

Ahead of the start of the 2025 College World Series on Friday, ESPN's Kiley McDaniel unveiled his ranking of the best MLB draft prospects who are playing in Omaha.

UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky leads the group of 15 players on McDaniel's list, followed by LSU pitcher Kade Anderson, Oregon State teammates Aiva Arquette and Dax Whitney and Arkansas shortstop Wehiwa Aloy rounding out the top five.

Seven of the eight teams in the College World Series are represented in McDaniel's top 15. The only club without a player on the list is Murray State, which is in the midst of a Cinderella run that saw it defeat Mississippi in the regional final and Duke in the super regionals.

Cholowsky isn't eligible for the draft until 2026. The Bruins star is entering the College World Series with a .367/.494/.742 slash line and 23 homers in 63 games.

McDaniel noted Cholowsky is currently the top pro prospect in all of college baseball and a candidate to be selected No. 1 overall next year.

Jared Perkins of JustBaseball.com noted in April that Alabama shortstop Justin Lebron and Georgia Tech outfielder Drew Burress are also competing with Cholowsky to be selected with the top pick in 2026.

"Cholowsky is a mix of elite defensive and plus-hit tools with burgeoning power," Perkins wrote about the UCLA standout.

If you're starting with a floor of elite defense at shortstop and plus ability as a hitter, it's hard to imagine anyone will surpass Cholowsky in the 2026 rankings as long as he stays healthy.

Anderson is the best player who is eligible for this year's draft. He is ranked as the No. 3 overall prospect by MLB.com, behind high-schoolers Ethan Holliday and Seth Hernandez.

The LSU lefty has taken a huge step forward this season with 163 strikeouts in 103 innings pitched. He only has eight more walks this season compared to 2024 in 64.2 more innings.

Arkansas is the team to watch for fans keeping an eye on the MLB draft. The Razorbacks, who are also the top team still playing as the No. 3 national seed in the tournament, have five players in McDaniel's top 15 rankings.

Aloy, Gage Wood (No. 7), Charles Davalan (No. 14) and Zach Root (No. 15) are all draft-eligible this year. Cole Gibler (No. 10) won't be eligible for the draft until 2027.

The marquee game of the initial matchups will put Arkansas against LSU on Saturday night. Coastal Carolina and Arizona will begin the festivities in Omaha on Friday at 2 p.m. ET.