The Chicago White Sox have been down bad for so long. But maybe having their biggest fan in Vatican City helped their 2026 MLB Draft odds.

The franchise that won just 60 games in 2025 had a 27.7 percent chance at the top pick, which were the best odds even if they weren't great. And for the first time since 1977 -- when they took Harold Baines -- they got the first pick.

It came in the same year that Pope Leo -- who is notoriously a White Sox fan from Chicago -- ascended to the papacy, so of course there were so many jokes about how having him as pope helped the franchise.

Will Roch Cholowsky be the White Sox pick?

Obviously, we're going to need to wait until the actual MLB Draft in a few months to find out. But UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky is seemingly the top choice after hitting 23 home runs.

When is the 2026 MLB Draft?

That would be July 11, 2026.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Everyone thanked 1 man for the White Sox lottery win

Reporting by Charles Curtis, For The Win / For The Win

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect