UGA Baseball: Emerson Hancock drafted No. 6 overall, Cole Wilcox drafted at No. 80
Two UGA baseball stars left the board early in the 2020 Major League Baseball Draft.
Wednesday and Thursday were bittersweet for the UGA Baseball program.
The sweet part was having two of its players drafted early. Superstar pitcher Emerson Hancock left the board as the No. 6 overall pick by the Seattle Mariners. Fellow pitcher Cole Wilcox was drafted No. 80 overall by the San Diego Padres. This is the 43rd straight year a UGA Baseball player was drafted and Hancock is Georgia’s 11th first-rounder.
The bitter part is the COVID-19 pandemic that canceled the 2020 college baseball season before the Bulldogs could use either pitcher in the heat of SEC play. Georgia had a lot of potential this past year and Hancock and Wilcox were a big reason why.
Fortunately, however, the MLB draft is not like other sports. Hancock and Wilcox have the option to return to school. Hancock, being such a high pick, will likely move onto the pros. Wilcox, however, is likely a better player than his No. 80 overall pick suggests and he may decide to return to Athens in hopes of being drafted higher next year. If he does, Wilcox will likely be Georgia’s ace heading into 2021.
If both return, the sky really would be the limit for the 2021 UGA Baseball team. The Bulldogs were already national championship contenders for 2020 before the season was canceled, give next year’s squad a more experienced Hancock and Wilcox, they’ll be a tough team to beat.
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