‘Real big dogfight’ could be ahead for Georgia if MLB draft proposal passes

ATHENS — There are only two seasons in Wes Johnson’s life — winter and baseball — so the Georgia coach has remained engaged in his passion.

Johnson is busy putting together the next iteration of Bulldogs baseball after capping a season with a final-four finish at the College World Series.

“We brought in 24 players my first year, 25 my second year and we’ll bring in 21 this year,” Johnson said Monday. “We’re not painting a vision to (recruits), we’re showing results.”

Georgia won the SEC regular-season title before winning the SEC Tournament for the first time in program history en route to its first trip to the College World Series since 2008.

Johnson said he will soon learn which Georgia players might return for another season after the MLB draft combine, which is Tuesday-Friday at Chase Field in Phoenix.

The MLB draft is July 11-13.

The NCAA baseball transfer portal, however, has been open since June 1 and runs through June 30, so Johnson has stayed on top of roster management in what’s become a transfer-heavy sport.

Changes in collegiate baseball might soon be on tap, however, with the NCAA Division I Cabinet expected to approve a “5-in-5” proposal that would grant athletes five seasons of competition in a five-year window beginning with their enrollment at school or in the academic year following their 19th birthday — whichever comes first.

Johnson said the proposal will “jam up baseball” with more athletes playing longer in college with name, image and likeness funding providing incentive to delay a pro career.

MLB has also introduced a proposal — which would take effect in 2027 — that would ban high school players from entering the MLB draft and shrink the event from 20 rounds to 12.

Johnson explained why he doesn’t expect either proposal to have drastic effects on how he builds his teams.

“I think you’ve still got to be old in this league to make a push a win, and then you can sprinkle in or mix in freshmen and win,” he said.

Johnson said it’s typically the “top 20 high school players” who can make a significant impact on a championship-level team, and in the past, getting commitments from that level player hasn’t meant much because they would probably be selected in the MLB draft and not attend college.

“You know the likelihood of (a top 20 player) attending college is probably less than 15% and probably closer to 10%,” Johnson said.

“What you’ll see (if the MLB proposal passes) is a real big dogfight for those top 20 players, because those guys can come in and be very impactful in your program.”

That said, Johnson explained it would still take the right kind of player to sign at Georgia.

“There are talented players that, maybe we could pay them enough to get them to come to Georgia,” Johnson said. “But if we go through the interview process and sense they are selfish, we’ll try to steer away from those guys.

“You can’t get guys who are so selfish about everything, that what they do disrupts the chemistry you are building in the clubhouse.”

Johnson said there’s still a place for program players who sign as freshmen and develop, like All-American Tre Phelps, who signed with UGA and has been the backbone of the past three teams.