UGA pitcher Emerson Hancock drafted by Mariners; Wilcox to Padres

For the second time in 2020, a Georgia athlete is a top-10 draft pick.

This time it comes on the diamond, as pitcher Emerson Hancock heard his name called with the sixth overall pick by the Seattle Mariners.

“I think it’s a great fit for me, and I’m definitely excited,” said Hancock, who watched the draft in his hometown of Cairo with family and friends. “I’m very blessed for the Mariners in believing in me, and I’m ready to get to work. I got the phone call and to hear the commissioner call your name, that’s something that hit me hard. It makes you remember all the past experiences, the tournaments, all the things you’ve done to get to this point and to have the special people with you, it hit me really hard.”

Hancock cracked the Georgia starting rotation as a freshman in 2018, making 15 starts and posting a 6-4 record. His ERA at the end of the year stood at 5.10 thanks to some rougher outings in the back half of the season.

However, he developed into one of the nation’s top pitchers over the past two seasons. In 14 starts he went 8-3 with a 1.99 ERA, the lowest mark for a Georgia starter since 1977. In nine of those 14 starts, Hancock gave up one or no runs.

Entering 2020 Hancock was a reigning second-team All-American and a consensus high pick in MLB mock drafts. In four starts before the season ended due to the Covid-19 pandemic, he went 2-0 with a 2.75 ERA, registering 34 strikeouts and just three walks in 24 innings.

The pandemic also makes it uncertain what the next steps for Hancock will be. The 2020 Minor League Baseball season is all but officially canceled, which means draft picks will likely have to wait until next spring for in-game action.

In the 2020 NFL Draft, Bulldogs offensive lineman Andrew Thomas was taken No. 4 overall by the New York Giants.

San Diego Padres draft Cole Wilcox

A second Georgia pitcher is off the board in the 2020 MLB Draft.

Cole Wilcox is the latest Bulldog to take his talents to the next level. The San Diego Padres selected him in the third round with the No. 80 pick in the draft on Thursday.

The native of Chickamauga earned freshman All-SEC honors in 2019, posting a 4.07 ERA and a 3-2 record. He made 19 appearances and six starts, used often as a fireballing weapon out of the bullpen early before transitioning to a starter’s role later in the season.

It seemed Wilcox had fully taken to the starting rotation before the 2020 season came to a sudden end. He earned a win in three of his four starts and posted a 1.57 ERA with 32 strikeouts and two walks in 23 innings. On a Zoom call with reporters earlier this month, Wilcox said most teams viewed him as a starter down the line in his pro career.

This story was originally published June 10, 2020 at 7:46 PM.