Brewers Nab Georgia RHP Cole Wilcox In Latest MLB Mock Draft

MLB Mock Draft season is upon us and MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis just released his newest version, which adds a strong pitching prospect to the Brewers organization.

The Milwaukee Brewers loaded up on left handed pitching in last year’s draft, starting with Ethan Small from Mississippi State. That marked the first time since 2014 the Brewers took a pitcher in the first round and the first college pitcher in the first round since 2011 with the duo of Taylor Jungmann and Jed Bradley.

Jim Callis has the Brewers going with a college pitcher in back-to-back years in his latest mock draft, projecting Cole Wilcox to the Crew.

Cole Wilcox, RHP, Georgia

A few years ago, Wilcox was a projected first round pick coming out of high school, but he strongly desired to go to college and pitch for the University of Georgia, so he was selected in the 37th round by the Nationals instead.

In his freshman year, Wilcox appeared in 19 games, six of which were starts, and posted a 4.07 ERA with 64 strikeouts in 59.2 IP.

After going back and forth between the rotation and the bullpen his freshman year, Wilcox was the Saturday night starter (No. 2, behind projected Top 5 pick Emerson Hancock) for the Georgia Bulldogs, who were ranked No. 2 in the nation when the season was shut down.

In his four starts before the pandemic arrived, Wilcox dominated the competition. He had a 1.57 ERA in 23.2 IP, struck out 32, walked only two batters, and had a 3-0 record. A 16.0 K/BB and a 12.5 K/9 ratio is pretty darn good, even if it’s only over a small sample size.

In his start against Georgia Tech, Wilcox went 7.0 IP, allowing just three hits, no runs, no walks, with 11 strikeouts.

Wilcox stands at a sturdy 6’5″ and 232 pounds and possesses three above-average pitches. His fastball, slider, and changeup make for a nasty arsenal. Here’s some of what MLB Pipeline had to say about his stuff:

"Wilcox has some of the best pure stuff in the Draft. His fastball usually ranges from 92-97 mph and can reach 100 with some sink and armside run. Both of his mid-80s secondary pitches show signs of becoming plus offerings, with his fading changeup a tick more reliable than his power slider."

A power pitcher that can reach triple digits on his fastball, with movement, is sure to catch the attention of any team’s scouts. The Brewers farm system has been light on power pitchers over the last few years, making Wilcox a welcome addition.

Pipeline ranks Wilcox as the 23rd best prospect in this draft, right in the range of the Brewers first selection at No. 20 overall.

Command is really the concern about Wilcox. If he can’t throw his pitches often enough for strikes, it doesn’t matter how nasty the stuff is. He also doesn’t have much deception in his delivery, and there’s a chance that he might not stick in the rotation moving forward.

If he’s able to continue to improve his command as he develops, Wilcox should be able to stick in the rotation. Perhaps the Brewers can be that organization that improves his command and is able to develop him into a solid big league starter.

As a draft-eligible sophomore, Wilcox is younger than most of the other college pitchers in the draft at just 20 years old. As a result, he’s not as polished of a prospect and may need more time to develop, but that doesn’t mean he’s not a worthy investment.

The MLB Draft is less than a month away, and things are only going to get more interesting in the lead up to it.