It would certainly be easy for Georgia baseball coach Scott Stricklin to take a selfish approach as it pertains to the Major League Draft which gets underway Wednesday night.
After all, with this year’s event limited to five rounds, players who would normally get picked in your typical 40-round draft, run the risk of not being selected at all.
Although players not selected can still sign for $20,000, the NCAA’s recent ruling that allows spring athletes to keep their current year of eligibility, could lead to Stricklin having a more experienced roster next spring than he might ordinarily have.
However, that’s not his line of thinking.
“I want those guys to go as high as possible because that’s what they came to Georgia for. It would be really selfish of us to say 'hey, I hope that guy falls in the draft so he will come back.' I want those guys to go as high as possible,” Stricklin said. “They came to Georgia to experience what it’s like to feel what it’s like to be a college experience, to experience the SEC and get drafted higher. That’s why they came here. They all have that opportunity and that’s what we’re hoping.”
First round of the draft will be carried live on ESPN and MLB Network starting at 7 p.m., with rounds 2-5 taking place Thursday starting at 5 on ESPN2 and MLB Network.
Bulldog pitchers Emerson Hancock and Cole Wilcox will both hear their names called Wednesday.
Hancock has been projected to anywhere from No. 5 to No. 9 according to various mock drafts, with Wilcox projected somewhere between pick 20 and 30.
“For a lot of guys, there’s a lot of uncertainty for where guys might go, and how the draft might play out,” Hancock said. “For me, like I said, I don’t know what’s going to happen. But whatever does, I’ll make the best of it and make the best decision for me and my family.”
Hancock, who posted a 16-7 career mark with a 3.47 ERA in 33 career starts, struck out 206 batters and walked just 55 in 192 innings of work.
Although the junior Hancock appears a lock to sign, Wilcox's decision could be affected due to added leverage he has that his older teammate does not.
Wilcox is a draft-eligible sophomore, meaning he’s allowed to be taken this year due to the fact that his 21st birthday (July 14) will fall just a month after this year’s event.
A recent Baseball America mock draft has Wilcox going to the Atlanta Braves with the 25th overall pick, although others have him being selected a bit higher.
However, due to having two extra years of collegiate eligibility, it’s conceivable that Wilcox could ask for an even bigger signing bonus, and return to college for another season, if his number is not met.
Wilcox understandably wasn’t too revealing when asked to speculate on what his plans might be.
“It’s something where you’ve just got to figure out the details,” Wilcox said. “I’ll talk to my family, people I’m close with, do a lot of prayer, talk to a lot of people—people who are important to me—and get those details cranked out.”
Hancock and Wilcox aren’t the only Bulldogs who hope to hear their names call.
Pitcher Ryan Webb, pitcher C.J. Smith, shortstop Cam Shepherd, outfielder Ben Anderson, outfielder Tucker Bradley and outfielder Riley King are also potential draftees.
“I talked to (King, Bradley and Shepherd) yesterday and the uncertainty, that’s the most frustrating part for all of us,” Stricklin said. “We don’t know. All three of those guys have a chance to be drafted. There are teams that really like them, there’s teams that have talked to us about them and they’re all on the draft boards. It’s just a matter of do they do. There’s like 150 picks, so do they show up in those picks? They don’t know, we just have to wait and see.”
One player Stricklin is confident will hear his name called is Webb.
In five appearances before the season was canceled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the left-hander was brilliant, going 2-0 with a 1.20 ERA with 26 strikeouts in 15 innings.
“I’ve probably had more calls about Ryan Webb than anybody,” Stricklin said. “People are hungry to find out more about him. I think he’s got a chance to go in the third, fourth round at the latest. I’ve told teams if he’s there in the third, he’s the guy you have to take.”