White Sox select RHP Joey Volchko in the third round of the 2026 MLB draft (No. 77 overall)

· Yahoo Sports

Joey Volchko tossed 15 Ks in a complete game for Georgia to secure a CWS win last month. | (Photo by John Adams/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

At last, the White Sox select a non-middle infielder, adding 21-year-old righthander Joey Volchko to the 2026 draft class. Volchko originally went to Stanford before transferring to Georgia, where he has been a dominant addition to the Bulldogs starting rotation. The righty is currently listed as the 68th-best prospect via MLB’s rankings, making him the second straight pick where the White Sox found themselves getting better-than-slot value.

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Of immediate importance to Georgia fans, Volchko led Georgia to their first College World Series win in 18 years just a few weeks ago. In that performance, he powered through the University of Texas lineup in the CWS, racking up 15 strikeouts in a 7-1 complete game victory for Georgia where he only allowed two hits and walked one.

Volchko had put up a 5.89 ERA in his two years at Stanford, improving significantly upon joining the SEC, accumulating a 3.68 ERA in 95 1/3 innings last season, and his 11 wins were the third-most among NCAA Division I pitchers.

Volchko has some solid pitches in his arsenal, and while his fastball isn’t as effective as he would hope despite averaging in the mid-90s, his slider is his best pitch. That selection averages in the mid-to-upper 80s, with increased movement over the last couple of years.

The righty also has a splitter and a curveball that he struggles to keep those in the zone for strikes. With a 6´4´´ frame, ideally Volchko can continue to refine his fastball to have a couple of pitches that can fool batters while maintaining his command. Joey is able to touch upwards of 101 mph with his fastball, but unless he’s able to toss it in the zone, that part isn’t as important.

The MLB scouting report on Volchko has compared him to a younger Noah Syndergaard, but he’ll need to work on his control a bit more and get more acquainted with MLB-caliber hitters before we can draw many conclusions on his future. If the command remains an issue throughout his time in the minor leagues, its possible we seem him shift into a bullpen role rather than continue on as a starter.

The 2026 White Sox draft storystream contains all of our draft content.

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