It’s a ‘dream come true’ situation for MLB Draft hopeful, Vols commit Ryan Galanie
Reigning Southern Conference Player of the Year Ryan Galanie finds himself in a pretty decent spot in terms of his next move as a baseball player.
The former Wofford slugger will go through the Major League Baseball Draft process next week with hopes of finding a good landing spot to begin his professional career. If not, the right-handed hitter will be a fixture in the heart of the Tennessee lineup next season, having committed to Tony Vitello out of the transfer portal over the weekend.
Galanie is in a unique spot. He’s 23-years-old and is coming off a four-year career at a Mid-Major. There’s a professional future there for him, but he also has options thanks to the free COVID year of eligibility. The utility player will likely be selected in the draft, and he will then begin to weigh is options in terms of how much the team will sign him for.
If it’s suitable, he’ll go. If not, he’ll instead play for one of the hottest college baseball programs in America and will enter his name in the draft once again in 2024.
“It’s a dream come true. There’s no Plan A or Plan B for me – just two great options you can’t not look forward to,” the slugger told Volquest this week. “I’m really excited about it, and I know the team has a lot of potential. I’ve been around a lot of Tennessee guys here in the Cape [Cod League] and they’ve been great to me. I couldn’t be looking more forward to it if the draft doesn’t work out. I’ll be in a great spot and ready to help contribute in any way – hopefully help bring the team back to Omaha and have a chance to win it.”
Galanie is currently playing in the Cape Cod League – the top summer league for college baseball. With the Cotuit Kettleers, he’s been around Tennessee pitchers Zach Joyce and Bryce Jenkins, as well as transfer portal commit Cannon Peebles. As he awaits what the draft, he’s getting a good idea of what it will be like to play for the Volunteers.
But there will be a decision to make.
“It’s always every player’s dream to play in Major League Baseball and to be the best version of themselves as a professional,” Galanie said. “You always want to have the opportunity that I have right now and the mindset I have right now is that if there’s a good opportunity, I’m going to take it. The question is, what opportunity comes up and what situation will I be in? It all boils down to what I’m being offered, where a team values me and how they are treating me as a person and player. That’s the most important part to me.
“If not, I’m more than excited to be a Tennessee Volunteer. Big Orange Country – they’ve been supporting me really well. I’m just trying to be the best version of myself, and I know Tennessee will give me that option.”
Best case scenario for Tennessee is the former Wofford star spending his final year of collegiate eligibility in Knoxville. If so, what’s Tony Vitello getting with the right-handed bat?
“I’m a little bit unorthodox but still dangerous. I feel like I can do damage on any count and on any pitch,” the hitter said. “As long as I stay true to my approach and what I do well, I think I’m in a good spot.”
The slugger came alive at the plate each of the past two seasons, combining for 34 home runs (17 HRs in both 2022, 2023) and 129 RBI. Galanie registered a .383 batting average this past season and hit .329 as a junior in 2022. There’s versatility to his game as well, starting all 59 contests at third base in 2022 while manning the first base bag in 2023.
Galanie cut down on his strikeouts greatly as a senior this past year, retiring only 39 times across 230 at-bats compared to 54 times over a 219 at-bat span in 2022. The utility player, who can also play outfield, was a freshman in 2020 – playing in only six games.
On the decision to pick Tennessee out of the transfer portal, versatility in the field was a factor but it was more about bringing the bat to Knoxville and to be a part of something growing.
“There’s a bunch of things that went into it, but in the end, it boiled down to the people, the fanbase, the culture and the winning,” Galanie concluded. “You see the competitiveness and the edge that they have and that’s definitely one of the things I liked a lot. It kind of felt like the mantra has been them versus the world. That is something I liked and something I could get bought into. That’s the atmosphere I’ve seen around there.”
We will see what the MLB Draft has in store for the new Tennessee commit next week, but if he ends up on Rocky Top, the lineup just got a whole lot better.
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