The Chicago White Sox selected Tennessee transfer commit Ryan Galanie with the 15th pick in the 13th round (389 overall) of the 2023 MLB Draft Tuesday afternoon.
A four-year Wofford standout, Galanie hit .383 with 17 home runs, 15 doubles and 66 RBIs this season on his way to earning SoCon Player of the Year honors.
The question for Galanie is whether he will use his final season of college eligibility at Tennessee or forego his final collegiate season to start his college career.
Galanie told RTI that his dream is to play in the MLB earlier this month but that he wanted a fair signing bonus that wasn’t taking advantage of him.
“If I feel like I’m being taken advantage of at all— in the position I’m in now I’m a right-handed corner infielder that can hit a little bit. I’m a mid major guy that’s old,” Galanie said. “There’s not a whole lot of leverage and there’s definitely area for me to get taken advantage of a little bit by organizations so if I feel like I’m being taken advantage of I don’t plan on signing because all I want is fair value and I’ve been told I have the possibility to be a money saver guy on the second day. That’s kind of what I’m expecting but if I feel like it’s gone from money saver to taking advantage of me I don’t want to be a part of that. I want to be looking forward to going somewhere like Tennessee.”
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A dangerous bat who can play a number of positions, losing Galanie to the draft would be a tough blow, though not a surprising one, for Tennessee baseball.
Galanie would start somewhere for Tennessee next season if he makes it to campus— plausibly at third base though that isn’t a certainty.
Even if Galanie opts to start his professional career now, Tennessee has plenty of infield depth for this upcoming season. The Vols return Christian Moore and Blake Burke and added Clemson star Billy Amick in the transfer portal earlier this month.
Stay tuned to RockyTopInsider.com for updates on Galanie’s baseball future and full coverage of all Tennessee baseball players in the 2023 MLB Draft.
