Tag: MLB Draft

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.

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.