Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred stumbled at the outset of the 2026 MLB Draft, mispronouncing the name of the league's top overall pick. The Chicago White Sox selected UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky with the first selection.
Manfred announced Cholowsky's name as "Cho-LOO-skee," when the correct pronunciation is "Chill-OW-skee." The gaffe occurred at the start of the draft ceremony held in Philadelphia.
While acknowledging that athlete names can be challenging, the report from OutKick suggested that practicing the names of expected top draft picks would be advisable. Cholowsky was widely anticipated to be selected early in the draft.
This incident follows a similar occurrence at the NHL Draft in June, where Justin Bieber, who announced the first overall pick, appeared to improvise rather than follow a prepared script when announcing the Toronto Maple Leafs' selection of Gavin McKenna. The article noted a trend of "fast and loose" draft announcements in major professional leagues.