George Wolkow takes next step with MLB draft or South Carolina
Editor’s note: The Chicago White Sox selected OF George Wolkow with the No. 209 pick in the seventh round of the 2023 MLB Draft on July 10.
DOWNERS GROVE, Ill. (BVM) – George Wolkow of Downers Grove North High School is one of the more exciting prospects in this year’s MLB draft class. The 17-year-old stands at 6-foot-7, 240 pounds and has arguably the most power amongst his age group.
The outfielder is the No. 49 draft-eligible prospect according to Prep Baseball Report. He hit .363 this season while posting a .525 on-base percentage.
3B George Wolkow (IL)@GamecockBasebll recruit
6-foot-7, 230 pounds#Super60 || #MLBDraft pic.twitter.com/4E90AXAdLP
— Shooter Hunt (@ShooterHunt) February 5, 2023
Wolkow is the youngest player in this year’s draft, due to reclassifying to 2023, but being on the younger side when it comes to baseball is nothing new for him.
He grew up playing baseball, football and basketball, but something about America’s greatest pastime separated it from the rest.
“I started to fall in love with how you can get better in baseball,” Wolkow said. “The best players in the best leagues are still failing seven out of 10 times. I fell in love with the game and the grind.”
His advanced baseball acumen for his age combined with his unique physical tools had colleges reaching out to him very early on. Wolkow heard from multiple schools as a seventh grader.
“I loved it,” Wolkow said. “The process was really fun.”
Wolkow announced his commitment to the University of South Carolina in the summer of 2020.
I am extremely excited to announce my commitment to further my academic and athletic career at The University of South Carolina. I would like to thank my family and my coaches for helping me reach this goal. #SpursUp@GamecockBasebll @Longshots_BB @ChiScoutsAssoc pic.twitter.com/8XSMONEXyE
— George Wolkow (@gwolkow19) June 15, 2020
“I fell in love with coach Kingston and the staff there,” Wolkow said. “I fell in love with the program and what it represents. The facilities combined with the great academic opportunity, it really filled every want and every need and every dream and aspiration that I had.”
After a lot of conversations with people across the industry, Wolkow, a top 10 player in the 2024 high school class according to Baseball America, decided to challenge himself by moving up a class.
‘23 3B George Wolkow (IL) gets the levers in sync and hammers a liner through the 4 hole for an RBI single. Tremendous power in his LH bat. @PG_Illinois #WWBA #PGDraft @B_Sakowski_PG @vcervinoPG pic.twitter.com/PRxtaEsyMh
— Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) July 11, 2022
“I felt like I was just ready to take that next step and make that jump in my career,” Wolkow said. “We sat down and looked through pros and cons and realized there were a lot more pros than there were cons. It wasn’t really a decision for the draft, it was more of a decision for the future.”
Wolkow’s future will be a bit more clear after July, but regardless of the outcome, he has put himself in a win-win situation.
“It’s a step along the way but it’s not something I chase,” Wolkow said. “I’m just trying to get better and improve as a baseball player. I use it as motivation, but it’s one step in the long run.”
6-foot-7 Illinois prep 3B George Wolkow (South Carolina commit) started his spring season 5-for-6 with 3 homers; here’s all three.
Wolkow reclassified from the 2024 to the 2023 draft class last year, so he’s among the youngest players in the draft, turning 17 in January. pic.twitter.com/o0Jqs4U2Yf
— Kiley McDaniel (@kileymcd) March 23, 2023
Wolkow has aspirations of a Hall-of-Fame career regardless of what happens in July and his high ceiling as a player should give him an opportunity to pursue that.
