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Georgia Tech Baseball: Oakland Athletics Draft Michael Guldberg

By Dylan Callaghan-Croley

DENVER, CO - JULY 29: An Oakland Athletics player's hat and glove rests in the dugout during interleague play between the Colorado Rockies and the Oakland Athletics at Coors Field on July 29, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - JULY 29: An Oakland Athletics player's hat and glove rests in the dugout during interleague play between the Colorado Rockies and the Oakland Athletics at Coors Field on July 29, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) /
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Georgia Tech infielder Michael Guldberg was selected by the Oakland Athletics on Thursday evening in the third round of the MLB Draft.

The first Georgia Tech baseball player or recruit to be drafted in the 2020 MLB Draft was infielder Michael Gudlberg. The Marrietta, Georgia native was picked by the Oakland Athletics with the 98th overall pick on Thursday night.

Guldberg was having a tremendous 2020 season before the season was cancelled in March. In the 16 games that the Jackets were able to play, Guldberg hit .450/.521/.533 with nine runs batted in over 60 at-bats. In those 60 at-bats, he also only struck out three times over the course of the season. Over his 64 games spanning three seasons with the Jackets, Guldberg was always a tremendous hitter for the Jackets, finishing with a career batting average of .374.

What the Athletics are Getting:

Well if you couldn’t tell, the Athletics are getting a great pure hitter in Guldberg. While he doesn’t present a great amount of power with just three home runs over his three seasons, he also had just two triples and 14 doubles. That being said, he was well on his way to a career high in doubles in 2020 as he finished the season with five, just two off his career high of seven, before the season came to an end.

While doesn’t have a lot of pop in his bat, he does have a great eye and protects the plate. Over his 104 games with the Yellow Jackets, Guldberg struck out just 41 times and was actually able to walk more than he struck out, finishing his career with 44 walks.

Fielding wise, Guldberg is a quality infielder and has the ability to play multiple positions, he didn’t commit errors at a high rate at Georgia Tech but they did happen. With development, he has a chance to become a high quality fielder as well.

Due to his ability to play multiple positions and his strong ability to make contact but not have overwhelming power, Guldberg is a player whose ceiling is that of a high-quality utility player at the Major League level. That being said, depending on how his bat continues to develop and if he can develop more power, I can see him developing into an everyday player as well.