Cole Wilcox didn’t expect to be waiting by his phone Thursday afternoon. On the contrary.
Based on all the mock drafts for the Major League Draft, the Bulldog sophomore was thought to go somewhere in the mid to late first round Wednesday night.
But that didn’t happen.
Instead, Wilcox was forced to wait until Thursday. That's when the San Diego Padres selected the big right-hander in the third round with the 80th overall pick.
The question now, will the Padres be willing to pony up enough cash to make him leave Athens early?
As a draft-eligible sophomore, Wilcox has two years of college eligibility instead of just one, meaning he could bet on himself, and opt to return in an effort to better position himself in next year’s draft.
All the 2020 mock MLB drafts projected Wilcox as a first round selection. However, teams have a bonus pool to sign their draft picks. While each selection has an assigned value, teams may spend less on some choices in the early rounds and then use their savings to spend more on later selections. The Padres used this strategy last year when it drafted and signed their third round pick Hudson Head, a prep outfielder to a record $3 million bonus, the most ever for a player in that round. Teams have until Aug. 1 to sign their draft picks.
"We were in this situation last year with Hudson Head where we took a player [like this in the third round]," Padres Scouting Director Mark Conner told SanDiegoPadres.com. “Part of the Draft now is understanding the dollars and managing some things. At the end of the day, I'm pretty confident we'll get something done."
Wilcox was 3-0 with a 1.57 ERA. He struck out 32 batters in just 23 innings before the season was cancelled.
He joins teammate Emerson Hancock, who was taken by the Seattle Mariners with the sixth pick in the first round.
No other Bulldog heard their name called, leaving players to decide whether they will return to Georgia for another year or accept a $20,000 free agent offer to turn pro.
Pitcher Ryan Webb has already announced his intention to return.
