Could the Braves take Cole Wilcox at 25?

Baseball America projects the Braves could take UGA star Cole Wilcox. Could it actually happen? Bill Shanks has some thoughts.

Cole Wilcox is a 6-foot-5, 232-pound right-handed pitcher from the University of Georgia.

Unfortunately, due to the COV-19 virus, Wilcox was unable to finish his sophomore season with the Bulldogs.

But he is draft-eligible, so Wilcox will never see Foley Field again. It is expected Wilcox will make him self eligible for the baseball Amateur Draft – whenever it may take place.

Wilcox made four starts in 2020. He was 3-0 with a 1.57 earned run average, with two walks and 32 strikeouts in 23 innings of work. His 1.57 ERA ranks third in school history for a season and is the best since Tom Jordan had a 1.57 ERA in 1966.

After being a preseason third-team All American by Baseball America, Wilcox lived up to his high expectations. He combined with Emerson Hancock to give the Bulldogs one of the best one-two punches in college baseball.

Baseball America linked Wilcox with the Braves in their mock draft. It makes sense, particularly with the Braves picking college position players last year in the draft. Catcher Shea Langeliers and infielder Braden Shewmake both got good reviews in their first year.

But with a number of pitchers likely to graduate to the big leagues this season, the Braves pitching depth may need to be improved. Wilcox would be a pitcher who would not be too far away, and therefore you would assume he could be an option for the Braves in this year’s amateur draft.

Listen to The Bill Shanks Show weekdays at 3:00 p.m. ET on Middle Georgia’s ESPN. You can listen online at TheSuperStations.com. Follow Bill on Twitter at @billshanks and you can email him at thebillshanksshow@yahoo.com.