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Georgia Tech Baseball: Baron Radcliff Drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies

By Dylan Callaghan-Croley

WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 23: A Philadelphia Phillies hat in the dugout during the game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on September 23, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 23: A Philadelphia Phillies hat in the dugout during the game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on September 23, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) /
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Georgia Tech outfielder Baron Radcliffe was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday night in the fifth round of the 2020 MLB Draft.

The second Georgia Tech player taken in this year’s MLB Draft is junior outfielder Baron Radcliff. Radcliffe, a Norcross, Georgia native was one of the Jackets top power hitters over the last few seasons.

In this year’s MLB Draft, it felt like not a matter of “if” but “when” Baron Radcliff would be selected. While he wasn’t coming off a tremendous season in the Jackets 16-games before the coronavirus pandemic shut everything, his raw talent, potential, and power would probably be just too much for teams to pass up.

While he had to wait until the final round of the 2020 MLB Draft, he finally heard his name called on Thursday night when the Philadelphia Phillies selected him with the No.146 overall pick.

What the Phillies are getting:

The Phillies are getting foremost, a hitter with a ton of power potential. Radcliff is very much the definition, however, of an “all or nothing” hitter at the plate. While he has posted 19 home runs over three seasons including 12 as a sophomore last season, he also has struck out 125 times over the course of his career with the Jackets in 112 games.

Before this past season was cut short, Radcliff was hitting a career high .259 at the plate to go along with a .394 on-base percentage and .552 slugging percentage. In 58 plate appearances, he had nine extra base hits with four doubles, two triples, and a trio of home runs. While he will strike out quite a bit, he’s no stranger to taking walks either, collecting 52 walks over the course of his career, or about 15.9% of the time.

In the field, Radcliff is a solid fielder, not tremendous and certainly has room to improve as he develops. Long term, I think Radcliff has the chance to be a quality MLB outfielder if he can develop at the plate and cut down on the strikeouts.