The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
» Braves pick outfielder; Padres nab UGA pitcher,
The Braves selected Michigan outfielder Jesse Franklin with their third-round pick, No. 97 overall, in the MLB draft Thursday evening.
Franklin didn’t play in the shortened 2020 season because of a collarbone injury. He hit .327/.379/.588 across 47 games as a freshman and .262/.388/.477 in 68 games as a sophomore. He increased his home run (10 to 13) and RBI (47 to 55) totals in those seasons.
The Seattle native was drafted by his hometown Mariners in the 2017 draft, but opted for the Wolverines. He’s 6-foot-1, 215 pounds and well-regarded for his power-speed combination.
Franklin broke his collarbone after a skiing crash outside Seattle in January. He was targeting an April return, but the pandemic prematurely ended the college season.
Baseball America graded Franklin its 151st overall prospect. He was among the many prospects affected by the season’s cancellation, telling the Detroit Free Press last month: “I wasn’t able to prove to the scouts that I’ve gotten any better.”
While the skiing incident was a freak injury, it wasn’t the only one that’s struck
Franklin. He had shoulder issues as a high school senior, requiring surgery on his torn labrum. He had to play some first base when he arrived at Michigan, as he was still recovering, but he rebounded enough to lead the team in homers, slugging and RBIs. Franklin moved to the outfield as a sophomore. He was drafted as a center fielder.
Franklin was the team’s first selection of the second (and final) day of the draft. Because of the truncated draft, the Braves had only two picks remaining after Franklin on Thursday: Nos. 126 and 156. Teams can sign an unlimited number of undrafted free agents, but offers can’t exceed $20,000, which will turn the better prospects back to school.
San Diego selects UGA pitcher Wilcox
Don’t get too caught up in Cole Wilcox slipping to No. 80 in the Major League Baseball draft. The San Diego Padres coveted Georgia’s right-hander from the jump and had a plan to get him right where they did.
At least that was the word from baseball experts, who were lauding the Padres’ third round selection of the Bulldogs’ 6-foot-5, 232-pound sophomore from Chickamauga. It certainly was far below most projections, which had Wilcox
going as high as No. 15 in the first round.
As a draft-eligible sophomore, Wilcox could opt to return to Georgia. But San Diego is among teams known to save their bonus-pool money for draft picks who might have such options. The Padres used their first three picks this year on high school players who went Nos. 8, 34 and 45. Teams have until Aug. 1 to sign their draft picks.
“All signs point to him signing,” Georgia coach Scott Stricklin said Thursday.
Wilcox was the Bulldogs’ No. 2 starter this past season. He was 3-0 with a 1.57 ERA and had 32 strikeouts and only two walks in 23 innings when No. 2 Georgia’s season ended March 13 because of the coronavirus pandemic. In two seasons, Wilcox has a 6-2 record with a 3.38 ERA in 23 appearances, including 10 starts. He was named second-team All-American honors by Collegiate Baseball this past season.
A’s take Georgia Tech outfielder Guldberg
The Oakland A’s took Georgia Tech outfielder Michael Guldberg, ranked No. 310 in Baseball America’s list of the top 500 draft prospects, in the third round with the 98th pick. Guldberg was a junior this past season.