Joey Volchko’s professional baseball journey officially began Saturday after the former Redwood High School standout was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the third round with the 77th overall pick of the 2026 MLB Draft.
The White Sox, who owned the No. 1 overall pick, opened the draft by selecting UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky before adding Volchko later on. Volchko's pick value is approximatly $1.09 million.
The selection makes Volchko one of the highest-drafted players in Redwood High School history and continues the school’s growing list of professional talent. Hunter Bryan was selected by the Texas Rangers with the 925th overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft, while Sam Bower was taken by the San Francisco Giants in the 12th round (356th overall) in 2022 out of Saint Mary’s College.
Volchko entered the draft as the No. 68 overall prospect, according to MLB.com, after a breakout junior season at Georgia that vaulted him into early-round consideration.
The 6-foot-4 right-hander originally emerged as one of the nation's premier high school prospects at Redwood in 2023. Armed with a fastball that reached 96 mph, Volchko dominated as a senior, posting a 0.59 ERA with 135 strikeouts over 59 innings. He also starred at the plate, batting .442 with eight home runs, eight doubles and 38 RBIs while helping lead Redwood to the CIF-Central Section Division 1 semifinals.
The White Sox, who owned the No. 1 overall pick, opened the draft by selecting UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky before adding Volchko later on. Volchko's pick value is approximatly $1.09 million.
The selection makes Volchko one of the highest-drafted players in Redwood High School history and continues the school’s growing list of professional talent. Hunter Bryan was selected by the Texas Rangers with the 925th overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft, while Sam Bower was taken by the San Francisco Giants in the 12th round (356th overall) in 2022 out of Saint Mary’s College.
Volchko entered the draft as the No. 68 overall prospect, according to MLB.com, after a breakout junior season at Georgia that vaulted him into early-round consideration.
The 6-foot-4 right-hander originally emerged as one of the nation's premier high school prospects at Redwood in 2023. Armed with a fastball that reached 96 mph, Volchko dominated as a senior, posting a 0.59 ERA with 135 strikeouts over 59 innings. He also starred at the plate, batting .442 with eight home runs, eight doubles and 38 RBIs while helping lead Redwood to the CIF-Central Section Division 1 semifinals.
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