Clemson to reportedly lose top baseball signee

Clemson’s top baseball signee has reportedly agreed to a deal with the Major League Baseball team that drafted him this week. According to MLB Network Insider Jon Heyman, the Texas Rangers have a deal with St. Mary’s Prep (Michigan) School pitcher …

Clemson’s top baseball signee has reportedly agreed to a deal with the Major League Baseball team that drafted him this week.

According to MLB Network Insider Jon Heyman, the Texas Rangers have a deal with St. Mary’s Prep (Michigan) School pitcher Brock Porter for close to $4 million.

Porter was taken in the fourth round (109th overall pick) of the 2022 MLB Draft by the Rangers, so he is reportedly signing for well over the slot value for that selection.

A power arm capable of touching 100 miles per hour with his fastball, Porter threw five no-hitters en route to Gatorade National Player of the Year honors as a senior.

The 6-foot-4 right-hander was ranked by MLB.com as the No. 11 overall prospect heading into the draft and seventh overall by Baseball America.

Dear Old Clemson’s first event is July 24. Now there is a new way to support Clemson student-athletes. Come out and meet the freshmen football players at this meet and greet autograph session. If you sign up for certain club levels you get free access to all Dear Old Clemson events. Purchase your tickets today at Dear Old Clemson.

 

Recapping Clemson baseball’s activity through first half of MLB Draft

The first half of the Major League Baseball Draft is in the books, and the number of Clemson’s players and recruits that have heard their names called has been minimal. To what extent those selections will impact the Tigers’ roster for next season, …

The first half of the Major League Baseball Draft is in the books, and the number of Clemson’s players and recruits that have heard their names called has been minimal.

To what extent those selections will impact the Tigers’ roster for next season, though, remains to be seen.

Three players either on or signed to join Clemson’s roster have been drafted through the first two days of the draft. That number could increase when the draft concludes with the final 10 rounds Tuesday, but things have gone about as expected when it comes to the Tigers’ current players.

Max Wagner and Mack Anglin, Clemson’s highest-ranked prospects entering the draft, have each been drafted. Wagner was first to come off the board, going to the Baltimore Orioles in the second round with the 42nd overall pick. Anglin went to the Kansas City Royals five rounds later with the 205th overall selection.

Clemson first-year coach Erik Bakich told The Clemson Insider before the draft that he was approaching it as if neither player would be returning to school, and understandably so.

It would be difficult for Wagner to increase his draft stock more than he did this past season when he matched a school record with 27 home runs, and the approximate slotted bonus money associated with the 42nd overall pick ($1.86 million) is likely too good to pass up. Anglin, Clemson’s Friday starter this past season, jumped six rounds after being drafted in the 13th a year ago. A year older than Wagner as a third-year sophomore, Anglin would also be 23 years old by the time next year’s draft rolls around, which would naturally decrease his stock if he returned to school for another season.

Clemson also had two signees ranked among the top 50 prospects going into the draft, but only one of them has been selected to this point. And Brock Porter went later than expected, though that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll make it to school.

Ranked as the No. 11 overall prospect by MLB.com, Porter slid to the fourth round before the Texas Rangers drafted the hard-throwing right-hander with the 109th overall pick. But the Rangers are reportedly paying under slot value for its first-round pick, Kumar Rock, and didn’t have any second- or third-picks to spend money on, so they may have the extra money needed to pay over slot for Porter’s signature.

While Clemson awaits Porter’s decision, the Tigers have a better chance of getting left-hander Tristan Smith to campus. MLB.com rated the Boiling Springs High standout as the 46th-best prospect, but Smith heads into the final day of the draft still on the board. It’s a good indication teams won’t be able to match Smith’s asking price.

Still, a team could take a flyer on Smith in the later rounds. Who else with Clemson ties could be drafted?

Shortstop Ben Blackwell and pitchers Geoffrey Gilbert, Ryan Ammons and Jackson Lindley are among the Tigers’ other draft-eligible players. Winnacunnet (New Hampshire) High right-hander Joe Allen and Porter’s high school teammate, St. Mary’s Prep (Michigan) School infielder Jack Crighton, MLB.com’s No. 220 prospect, are other recruits who could be selected.

Photo credit: Matthew Dae Smith/Lansing State Journal/USA Today Network

Dear Old Clemson’s first event is July 24. Now there is a new way to support Clemson student-athletes. Come out and meet the freshmen football players at this meet and greet autograph session. If you sign up for certain club levels you get free access to all Dear Old Clemson events. Purchase your tickets today at Dear Old Clemson.

Porter drafted early on Day 2

Clemson’s top baseball signee heard his name called on the second day of the Major League Baseball Draft, though it was much later than expected. Now the question is will Brock Porter suit up for the Tigers? Porter was taken in the fourth round by …

Clemson’s top baseball signee heard his name called on the second day of the Major League Baseball Draft, though it was much later than expected.

Now the question is will Brock Porter suit up for the Tigers?

Porter was taken in the fourth round by the Texas Rangers, who selected the St. Mary’s Prep (Michigan) School pitcher with the 109th overall pick Monday. Should Porter elect to sign with the Rangers and start his professional career early, he would receive a signing bonus of approximately $560,000, according to MLB.com, which is much less than many expected for what many considered a first-round talent.

The fact that Porter, ranked by MLB.com as the No. 11 overall prospect heading into the draft, fell past the first three rounds could mean his asking price was too high for teams. But teams, particularly those with larger bonus pools, could mix and match their allotted draft money to offer certain players more than slot value, meaning Porter could potentially get more than the 109th pick is generally worth.

A power arm capable of touching 100 miles per hour with his fastball, Porter has signed a National Letter of Intent with the Tigers. As a senior, the 6-foot-4 right-hander threw five no-hitters en route to Gatorade National Player of the Year honors.

The Clemson Insider has learned that Porter has some degree of desire to follow through on his commitment to Clemson, meaning it’s almost certainly going to take an amount far exceeding his slot value to convince him to skip out on college. Now Porter has to make that decision.

Photo credit: Matthew Dae Smith/Lansing State Journal/USA Today Network

Dear Old Clemson’s first event is July 24. Now there is a new way to support Clemson student-athletes. Come out and meet the freshmen football players at this meet and greet autograph session. If you sign up for certain club levels you get free access to all Dear Old Clemson events. Purchase your tickets today at Dear Old Clemson.

The latest on Clemson’s top signee in the MLB Draft

To the surprise of many, the first two rounds of the Major League Baseball Draft came and went without Clemson’s top signee hearing his name called. St. Mary’s Prep (Michigan) School standout Brock Porter, who has signed a National Letter of Intent …

To the surprise of many, the first two rounds of the Major League Baseball Draft came and went without Clemson’s top signee hearing his name called.

St. Mary’s Prep (Michigan) School standout Brock Porter, who has signed a National Letter of Intent with the Tigers, was widely considered a first-round talent. Some even had the 6-foot-4 right hander, who can touch 100 miles per hour with his fastball, as the top prep arm available. MLB Pipeline ranked him as the No. 11 overall prospect heading into the draft.

Yet 80 picks in, Porter remains on the board despite having no known injury concerns or character issues. Since Sunday night, The Clemson Insider has gathered some intel on the situation that we wanted to pass along.

MLB teams have a certain amount of bonus pool money they can spend on draft picks in the first 10 rounds without being penalized, making early signability just as important as talent in the baseball draft. If a team knows it can’t match a player’s asking price to sign, it won’t bother wasting a draft pick.

That’s at least part of the equation with Porter, according to a source. While it isn’t known if Porter and his camp have explicitly told teams that he’s going to college and to not draft him, asked if Porter’s asking price is too high or if he simply wants to go the college route, the source said it’s “a little bit of both.” The source said Sunday’s developments make it more likely that Porter ends up at Clemson.

But, as Clemson knows all too well, it’s not over until it’s over.

There’s always a chance a team with a higher bonus pool has more money to offer its picks in the later rounds. The Baltimore Orioles, Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Mets, Pittsburgh Pirates and Colorado Rockies have the most with more than $13 million each to spend.

Just last year, another Clemson signee, Bubba Chandler, widely viewed as a first-round talent, didn’t come off the board until the Pirates took him with the 72nd pick. But Chandler signed after the team gave him a $3 million bonus, more than triple the roughly $870,000 value assigned to that specific pick.

A source said a similar situation could play out with Porter but that his asking price may also simply be out of teams’ price range. The draft will continue today with rounds 3-10 starting at 2 p.m., so Clemson will have to play the waiting game a little longer.

But Sunday was a positive development as it relates to the program’s hopes of getting Porter on campus.

Dear Old Clemson’s first event is July 24. Now there is a new way to support Clemson student-athletes. Come out and meet the freshmen football players at this meet and greet autograph session. If you sign up for certain club levels you get free access to all Dear Old Clemson events. Purchase your tickets today at Dear Old Clemson.

Clemson signee receives prestigious national honor

A Clemson baseball signee received the distinct honor of being named Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year. Gatorade announced Tuesday that St. Mary’s Preparatory School (Orchard Lake, MI.) Brock Porter is the 2021-22 Gatorade National …

A Clemson baseball signee received the distinct honor of being named Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year.

Gatorade announced Tuesday that St. Mary’s Preparatory School (Orchard Lake, MI.) Brock Porter is the 2021-22 Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year.

Porter won the prestigious award for his accomplishments on and off the field, joining an impressive group of former Gatorade National Baseball Players of the Year who have combined for four MLB MVP awards, 42 All-Star appearances and 27 MLB first-round draft picks.

He was surprised virtually on Tuesday by New York Mets all-star shortstop Francisco Lindor.

“It was a complete shock,” Porter said of receiving the award. “I was pretty shocked and just excited to receive the award and be there for the moment.”

At the time of his selection, the 6-foot-4, 215-pound senior right-handed pitcher had led the Eaglets to a 37-0 record, the June 4 district semifinals of the Division 1 state postseason and a No. 1 national ranking by MaxPreps this season.

He compiled a 6-0 record on the mound through 37 games with a 0.17 ERA and 87 strikeouts against 17 walks in 42 innings. He also posted a WHIP of 0.476 and held opposing batters to a minuscule .024 average. In 29 at-bats this spring entering the postseason, he hit .517 with 17 RBI, four home runs and an OPS of 1.528.

“I’m honestly super shocked and I think this season has been really amazing,” Porter said. “Just me personally, but also my team. I think our team has come together really well and we’re all best friends. “We’ve played amazing…it’s been a miracle. I’m really excited and honored to be on this team and have the teammates I have.”

Ranked as the nation’s No. 12 prospect in the Class of 2022 by Baseball America and No. 7 by Perfect Game, Porter was a 2021 MLB Player Development Pipeline invitee. Michigan’s returning Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year, Porter was also the winning pitcher of the 2019 state title game, he fired a complete-game six-hitter in last year’s semifinals, surrendering one run and fanning 12 to help lead St. Mary’s to Collegiate Baseball News’ No. 1 national ranking in 2021.

Porter has signed his National Letter of Intent to play baseball at Clemson.

“It was the first school I ended up going to when I ended up visiting colleges,” he said. “I fell in love with the campus and the school itself. Talking with the coaches — now that they’re gone — but they were great coaches for me and I got really close with them too. Just even the teammates that I’m going in with, I’ve gotten really close with them. They’re an amazing program and I’m really excited to be a part of them and hopefully win a National Championship with them.”

Porter plans to enroll at Clemson for all intents and purposes, despite the dismissal of Monte Lee, Clemson’s now-former head coach, who Porter committed to back in June of 2019.

With that said, Porter is projected to be an early-round selection in July’s MLB draft.

“I’m gonna have to talk that through with my family and advisors and all that,” Porter said, “but right now, I’m just really excited to go to Clemson and be a part of that journey. That’s all I have to look forward to right now. That and my state championship.”

— Photo and information for this article are courtesy of Gatorade.

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