Baseball transfer Joe Redfield on Georgia, and the MLB Draft
Georgia transfer Joe Redfield acknowledges he’ll be keeping an eye on next week’s Major League Draft, but if the timing isn’t right, the All-American outfielder said he’ll be absolutely thrilled to play for the Bulldogs next spring.
“We both understand how crazy the MLB Draft can be. I’ll be watching for sure, but I’m not sure what’s going to happen,” Redfield told UGASports Friday night. “I’m just trying to take a deep breath, relax, and know that God’s got a plan for me. And whatever he thinks is best is eventually going to come to fruition.”
The way this former star at Sam Houston State sees it, he cannot go wrong either way.
At 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, Redfield, who just completed his junior season, burst on the scene at Sam Houston, where he spent last season after transferring from Temple College. In his only season with the program, Redfield was a third-team ABCA All-American selection and named to the ABCA Central Region first team, and hit .402, which ranked 21st in the country. He tied for seventh in the nation with 100 hits to help the Bearkats to a 39-25 record including a WAC Tournament championship.
The first-team All-WAC selection led the team with 15 home runs and 81 runs scored in his first season as the Bearkats advanced to the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional, where they eliminated Tulane.
He's projected by most draft experts to go somewhere between rounds seven and 10. So, what might he do?
“When you’re talking professionally, obviously money comes into play,” Redfield said. “That’s going to be a big part of it, but it’s really going to depend on how everything goes down and what the different situations are looking like.”
Currently, Redfield is one of 10 transfers who have acknowledged publicly that they’re going to play for Georgia and new head coach Wes Johnson.
Redfield, who was only in the portal for just over a week, said it did not take Bulldog coaches long to reach out.
“I think it was the first day I was in it, no more than a couple of hours after,” he said. “One of the coaches reached out; it was a quick turnaround. They showed interest early. I ended up talking with like three of the coaches; it was a good deal.”
Should he follow through, Redfield would join former Bearcat and fellow outfielder Clayton Chadwick on the team. However, Chadwick’s presence was not Redfield’s main reason for choosing the Bulldogs.
“It was not too much of a role, to be honest. Georgia kind of sells itself, honestly. Clayton is one of my best friends in the world. We were roommates on road trips and stuff, and obviously, it’s going to be such a good time playing with him again,” Redfield said. “But the main selling point was just getting to come play for the Georgia Bulldogs.”
The fact that friend Charlie Condon was also a member of the Bulldogs didn’t hurt, either. Redfield and Condon were teammates last month in the Cape Cod League as members of the Falmouth Commodores.
“This summer before I ever hit the transfer portal, I was playing with Charlie Condon in the Cape Cod (League), so I got to know him well and he had nothing but great things to say about the program,” Redfield said. “As soon as I committed, Charlie was the first person I texted. I said 'I’ll see you in Athens,' and he was like no way, that’s awesome. It’s really exciting.”
