Roch Cholowsky feels different from the usual Draft-card buzz. He's not just a 99-rated bat people grab because the numbers look silly on the card screen. If you've got MLB The Show 26 stubs set aside, he's worth a proper look because he can actually solve a shortstop problem, not merely fill a collection slot.
Why the overall rating isn't the whole story
Everybody sees 99 OVR first. Fair enough. But the fun part starts once you use him for a few games and realise he doesn't play like a slow, power-only corner infielder wearing a shortstop glove.
A proper shortstop with a real bat
Cholowsky's 102 contact versus righties and 106 versus lefties make him easy to trust late in games. He's got 97 and 104 power too, so pitchers can't just pound the zone and hope for a lazy single. Then there's 107 Clutch. That rating matters when you're down one, runners are on, and the other player suddenly starts nibbling at the corners. His 65 Speed won't turn him into a stolen-base machine, but 88 Fielding, 85 Arm Strength, and 86 Reaction make the card feel right at short. That's the difference. He can make plays, then come up next inning and hit one out.
1. Start him at shortstop if your current defender gives away cheap runs.
What the ratings say on the field
His quirks push an aggressive, but not reckless, approach. Dead Red and First-Pitch Hitter reward players who can spot a fastball early. Don't confuse that with swinging at every first pitch. Wait for something you can drive. Cholowsky's contact ratings give you room to take a strike, yet his best swings usually come before the pitcher gets comfortable.
That balance is easier to see when the main attributes sit next to each other. None of them feels randomly inflated just to make the overall rating work.
AreaRatingIn-game useContact102 RHP 106 LHPReliable against both sidesPower97 RHP 104 LHPCan punish mistakesDefense88 Fielding 86 ReactionLegit shortstop rangeDon't mix up the reward names
1. Coach's Cart gives Diamond Quest perks, not permanent Cholowsky cards.
Where he fits on a competitive squad
I'd bat Cholowsky first or second, not force him into cleanup just because he has power. He gets on, hits both handedness matchups well, and brings defensive value every inning. That's a rare package once cards start getting crowded at 99 OVR. The "coaches locker loot" phrase may be getting clicks, but it isn't a confirmed feature name. Coach's Cart is the real Diamond Quest mechanic; Draft packs and collections are a separate thing entirely. If you're weighing cheap MLB The Show 26 stubs against another flashy option, Cholowsky makes sense because he stays useful even when he isn't homering.
