By Michael A. Lough

Central Georgia Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com

FPD's Keon Johnson has a big future waiting, on an elite college team or in the pros, but the only two words that matter to him: state champs

Galason attracting national buzz in senior season
Galason talks baseball, reclassifying, the future

In one form or another, Saturday is a version of payday for a few Central Georgia baseball players.

Even if there are no actual financial transactions for awhile.

Houston County grad Drew Burress will get a call early Saturday when Major League Baseball holds its annual draft.

FPD alum Keon Johnson very easily could get a first-day call and have a huge decision to make.

And Houston County grad Isaiah Galason may be in a decision-making mode before the weekend is done.

ESPN on:
No. 7 Burress
Outfielder Drew Burress is the second Georgia Tech player listed among the top-10 prospects in the Draft. Burress was sensational for the Jackets this season, earning First Team All-ACC honors alongside Vahn Lackey. Across 61 games, he hit for a stellar .358 average with 22 doubles, 16 home runs, and 60 RBI.
“Burress is a quality athlete with a high baseball IQ and a strong work ethic,” his MLB.com scouting report reads. “He uses his solid speed to steal an occasional base and to chase down balls in center field, where most evaluators believe he can remain as a pro. If not, he has the bat and plus arm to profile well in right field, and he set a Yellow Jackets record with 10 outfield assists in 2024.”

No. 99 Johnson
No. 210, Galason
MLB.com (top 250)
No. 7 Burress
          Scouts liked Burress' tools and loved his makeup when he was a Georgia high schooler, but he told teams he'd attend Georgia Tech unless they took him in the first round of the 2023 Draft. He went unpicked and then broke into college baseball with nine homers in his first eight games en route to setting a school record with 60 blasts in three seasons. He should be the first college outfielder selected and crack the top 10 choices.
          Though he's shorter than his listed 5-foot-9 and lacks projection, Burress has solid or better tools across the board. He has a compact and quick right-handed swing, plenty of strength, a disciplined approach at the plate and plus power that plays to all fields. His stance became very open and led to struggles in his second stint with the U.S. collegiate national team last summer, but he made the necessary adjustments to recover from a slow start this spring.
          Burress is a quality athlete with a high baseball IQ and a strong work ethic. He uses his solid speed to steal an occasional base and to chase down balls in center field, where most evaluators believe he can remain as a pro. If not, he has the bat and plus arm to profile well in right field, and he set a Yellow Jackets record with 10 outfield assists in 2024.

No. 119 Johnson
          Johnson has been a famous prospect for years and won Gatorade's Georgia high school player of the year award as a junior last spring, but he presents a conundrum for scouts. They like the player more than his tools and his profile, and he regressed on the showcase circuit last summer after standing out there in 2024. He homered in the title game to lead First Presbyterian (Macon) to the Georgia Independent Athletic Association 4-A state championship in May.
          Johnson takes better at-bats and makes contact more easily than most high school players. His right-handed swing can get too rotational at times, and he didn't do much damage against quality pitching during the summer, still putting the ball in play but producing too many rolled-over grounders. He does feature plenty of bat speed and strength, and his biggest proponents hope he can make adjustments and turn into a solid hitter with average power.
          As he has matured physically, Johnson has slowed down and now has below-average speed at best. The Vanderbilt commit nevertheless has a chance to remain at shortstop, where his fluid actions and advanced instincts translate into surprising range. He has quick hands and solid arm strength, which would allow him to make an easy transition to third base if needed.

Perfect Game (top 500)
No. 7 Burress
No. 102 Johnson
No. 178 Galason

All three players can tune in with great focus at different times.

The preview show and first 10 rounds go from 1-2:30 p.m., with picks 11-40 from 2:30-4:30. The first day ends with picks 41-135 from 4:30 p.m.-7:45 p.m.

The second day has rounds 5-20, starting at 11:30 a.m. Broadcast coverage is on NBC, MLB Network and MLB.com.

Burress has been a breakout star for three years at Georgia Tech, setting offensive records and displaying staggering consistency in all parts of his game.

Nobody argues with his skills, but there are murmurs about his height, and lack thereof. He’s listed at 5-9, but there are skeptics.

Nevertheless, he hit big-time college pitching from the start, belting nine homers in his first eight games en route to a school-record 60 bombs in three seasons.

Perhaps underrated: speed and defense. Not underrated: His baseball IQ, coming from a state power in high school and helping lift Georgia Tech to a No. 2 ranking in 2026.

He’s almost a consensus No. 7 pick.

Baltimore has that pick, right after Pittsburgh and Kansas City. ESPN’s final mock draft had the Pirates picking Burress as “a curveball.”

Johnson’s future is, as far as specifics, much more uncertain. His “stock” has dropped some in the past few years, as per “analysts” and those who rank such things.

Few players who have an elite ranking a sophomore maintain it through their senior years even if their ability stays put or improves.

Johnson pretty much still in the top 125 players eligible to be chosen this weekend.

That puts him somewhere in the top five rounds or better, but every picks alters what happens afterward.

He’s in quite the win-win situation, having signed with perennial NCAA championship contender Vanderbilt.

A Vandy-connected writer listed the top Commodore signees who will get a lot of attention on Saturday, and there are several.

Johnson is listed as the No. 9 newcomer, the story pointing out a few reasons while he slid a little bit. The analysis has him going in rounds 3-10, with a 33.3 percent chance he signs with a pro team.

His high school career ended with the Vikings winning the GIAA Class 4A state title and him being named the top player in the GIAA, a year after taking the state’s Gatorade Player of the Year award.

The re-writer of the FPD hitting record book has been injury-free, is smart on and off the field, and will only add chemistry to wherever he lands.

Galason has signed with Georgia Tech, continuing the recent Houston County pipeline to the Flats started by Burress.

He’s also a shortstop, who has been in big-school playoffs every year with the Bears, playing in two state title games and reaching two semifinals.

The 5-11, 175-pounder hit .422 for the 2026 Bears, with 13 doubles, three homers, and 30 RBI, swiping 28 bases.

Galason has had several quality summer seasons, as well. He’s in that range where it will really have to be the right team with the right offer to sway him from Georgia Tech.

MLB.com has an in-depth tracker that includes players with almost any chance of getting a draft call, but have a shot at signing as an undrafted free agent.

Middle Georgia State pitcher Brodie Chestnutt and Perry pitcher Connor Langdon are listed as well as several players from Mercer: outfielder Chris Katz, catcher Dylan LaPointe, pitcher Garrett Lambert, outfielder Michael Graziano, pitcher Migues Hugas.

Tattnall grad Benjamin Stubbs of Troy is also on the list after helping the Trojans to the College World Series.

And FPD head coach Greg Moore said he’s gotten some inquires of late regarding Mercer-bound pitcher Conner Strandmark.