ATHENS, Ga.-----University of Georgia Honor Roll student Jonathan Cannon was selected by the Chicago White Sox Monday in the third round of the 2022 Major League Baseball Draft.
Cannon, a junior right-handed pitcher from Alpharetta, Ga., served as the ace of the Bulldog rotation with a 9-4 mark and 4.02 ERA this past season. The 6-6, 213-pounder was a first team All-Southeastern Conference selection by the league coaches. He made a team-high 13 starts for the Bulldogs as they finished 36-23. In 78.1 innings, he tallied 68 strikeouts and only 12 walks. In SEC action, Cannon went 6-2 to help the Bulldogs to a 15-15 league mark, good for second place in the Eastern Division.
Cannon was named a Third Team All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association as well as Collegiate Baseball publication. A three-year member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll and was a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy. He participated in the second annual MLB Draft Combine last month in San Diego. MLB.com had Cannon rated as the 60th best prospect in this year’s draft, and he ended up being the 101st overall selection.
A real estate major, Cannon owns a 16-6 career record and a 3.71 ERA in 31 appearances including 25 starts. In 153 innings, he has registered 137 strikeouts and 27 walks. He is the first selection by the White Sox since 2008 when they drafted All-America shortstop Gordon Beckham in the first round, eighth overall. Beckham made his MLB debut a year later and enjoyed an 11-year career in the majors.
Senior second baseman Cory Acton was selected by the Atlanta Braves Monday in the ninth round of the draft.
Acton, a 6-0, 175-pound native of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., started 50 games for the Bulldogs in his first season wearing the red and black. He batted .266 with nine doubles, five home runs and 30 RBI for the Bulldogs who finished 36-23 in 2022. In the NCAA Chapel Hill (N.C.) Regional, Acton hit .357 with two doubles, one home run and four RBI plus perfect fielding in 11 total chances.
A religion major, Acton is the first selection by the Braves since Riley King in 2019 when they drafted him in the 26th round, however King opted to return to UGA. Shortstop Cam Shepherd signed with the Braves as a free agent in 2020 when the draft was limited to only five rounds.
Acton spent his first three seasons playing for the University of Florida after graduating from American Heritage High School. He was a 39th round pick of the Detroit Tigers in the 2018 MLB Draft. During his Gator career, Acton appeared in 106 games with 92 starts. He batted .241 with 12 doubles, seven home runs and 44 RBI.
The Bulldogs have a string of 49 straight seasons with at least one player signing a professional contract. Also, Georgia has had at least one player drafted going back to 1987. Teams will have until Aug. 1 to sign their draft picks unless that player has exhausted their collegiate eligibility. Those players are free to sign at any time up until one week prior to next year’s draft.
The 2022 MLB Draft began Sunday night and featured the first two rounds plus free agent compensation and competitive balance picks for a total of 80 selections. The draft resumed Monday afternoon with rounds three through 10. There have been 316 players selected in the first 10 rounds. The final day of the draft is Tuesday with rounds 11-20 starting at 2 p.m. The draft is being streamed on MLB.com.