Which Gamecocks will go first in the 2014 MLB Draft?
By Rixon Lane
The 2014 Major League Baseball draft begins tomorrow night at 7 p.m. with the first two rounds and two competitive balance rounds. Rounds 3-10 will be held on Friday and rounds 11-40 on Saturday. The Gamecocks are expected to lose several key players and might also miss out on some commitments for the class of 2014. Here are the first ten current and future Gamecocks likely to be selected, along with a projection of which team will take them and in which round:
Grayson Greiner – C – 3rd Round (Padres)
The Gamecock catcher struggled mightily in the regional, but was one of the top backstops in the country during his three seasons in Columbia.
Jordan Montgomery – LHP – 4th Round (Diamondbacks)
South Carolina’s Friday-night ace for the season, Montgomery was at his usual postseason best in his lone start of the regional against Campbell.
Joey Pankake – 3B/OF – 7th Round (Brewers)
Pankake played three different positions in his three years at South Carolina and hit over .300 in his sophomore and junior seasons.
Clark Scolamiero – OF [Greenville (SC) H.S.] – 7th Round (Orioles)
A former teammate of current Gamecock pitcher John Parke, Scolamiero was a second-team All-Atlantic Region selection this season.
Tanner English – OF – 7th Round (Yankees)
One of the fastest players in program history, English was a solid defender and one of South Carolina’s only base-stealing threats.
Kyle Martin – 1B – 7th Round(Braves)
After spending his first two seasons in Columbia behind Christian Walker and L.B. Dantzler, Martin emerged as an SEC-caliber first baseman.
Alex Destino – OF [North Buncombe (NC) H.S.] – 8th Round (Rangers)
A talented two-way player, hiting the low 90’s on the mound and providing a powerful bat, Destino was a Perfect Game first-team All-American.
Madison Stokes – 3B/2B [Flora (SC) H.S.] – 12th Round (Marlins)
Stokes committed to his hometown Gamecocks, but the first-team All Atlantic Region player will have to turn down some money first.
Brandon Murray – RHP [Hobart (Ind.) H.S.] – 13th Round (Mets)
A hard-throwing right-hander, the Indiana native has hit 95 miles per hour on the gun and was one of the region’s top pitchers.
Braden Webb – RHP [Owasso (Okla.) H.S.] – 16th Round (Cardinals)
Another solid out-of-state pitching signee, Webb is known to be very effective with his change up and curveball, while his fastball can hit the 90’s.