SF Giants land hard-throwing RHP Cole Wilcox in 2020 MLB Mock Draft
By Justin Fried
The SF Giants will be eyeing some of the top prospects in the upcoming 2020 MLB Draft. And The Athletic’s mock draft has the Giants taking hard-throwing RHP Cole Wilcox.
The SF Giants have done an outstanding job of rebuilding what was once a barren farm system over the past few years. Gone are the days of the Giants having just one prospect in the MLB’s top-100.
Instead, they boasted an impressive five prospects on MLB’s annual top-100 prospect list this season. And they’ll be looking to add yet another name to that list in the near future — perhaps in the upcoming 2020 MLB Draft.
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In fact, that notion isn’t as far-fetched as it might seem. Last year’s first-round pick, Hunter Bishop, shot up the rankings and made an appearance at No. 71 on the list this season.
If the Giants can nail their draft pick and land a player who impresses early in his professional career, there’s no reason they can’t do the same.
Given the abrupt end of the college baseball season, scouting this season has been harder than ever before. But that hasn’t stopped the near-endless supply of mock drafts that should dominate the MLB news cycle in the coming weeks and months before July’s draft.
After all, what else is there to talk about right now?
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One such mock draft was done by The Athletic’s Melissa Lockard and it saw the Giants land hard-throwing right-hander Cole Wilcox. Wilcox is currently ranked as MLB’s No. 23 prospect and is considered one of the top pitching prospects in a deep pitcher class.
A draft-eligible sophomore out of Georgia, Wilcox made four starts this year before the season was canceled. In those four starts, the 20-year-old finished with a 1.57 ERA and 32 strikeouts over 23 innings. On top of that, he surrendered just two walks.
Wilcox throws a blazing fastball that can reach 100 miles per hour. He combines that with a mixture of low-90’s off-speed stuff that includes a changeup and a slider.
However, his lack of starting experience could push him down some boards.
As a freshman, Wilcox was primarily used out of the bullpen totaling just 59.2 innings in 19 games — only three which he pitched for more than six innings.
Still, the upside is clearly there and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Giants draft a pitcher early this year after focusing primarily on their offense in 2019.
Next. SF Giants: Team preview and prediction for 2020 season. dark
Wilcox is an intriguing prospect and he’s just one of a few names that SF Giants fans should keep their eye on in the coming months.