South Carolina Baseball: Former Gamecock named MLB All-Star
By Kevin Miller
South Carolina baseball fans are used to seeing former Gamecocks playing well at the professional level. Carolina has put 60 players in Major League Baseball (and an almost uncountable number of players in Minor League Baseball), and several of them have even made All-Star Games.
The trend continued in 2023.
Over the weekend, South Carolina baseball star Whit Merrifield was selected as a 2023 Major League Baseball All-Star. On the season, the Toronto Blue Jays is hitting .282 and has 18 extra-base hits and 18 stolen bases. This is Merrifield’s third time playing in the Midsummer Classic.
Merrifield has had one of the best professional careers of any South Carolina baseball alum.
After taking a long time to move his way through Minor League Baseball to the Bigs, Merrifield proved he belonged by leading the league in stolen bases in his first full season, the first of three times he would lead the league in swiped bags. He has also led the league in hits (2x), doubles, triples, and sacrifice flies at different points of his career.
The Blue Jays and Kansas City Royals have gotten big moments out of Whit Merrifield in his 8-year big league tenure, but arguably his biggest moment as a pro came during his time in garnet and black.
Most Gamecock fans remember that Whit Merrifield was the man responsible for driving in the winning run in the 2010 College World Series clinching game. In the bottom of the 11th inning with Scott Wingo on 3rd base and Jackie Bradley, Jr. on deck, Merrifield stepped to the plate for Ray Tanner’s Gamecocks.
On the most famous 2-0 pitch in the history of Carolina baseball, #5 delivered a base hit to win the national championship as Mike Patrick’s famous call echoed through the final night of baseball ever at Rosenblatt Stadium: “Right field, base hit! South Carolina wins the College World Series!”
Merrifield is one of four Toronto Blue Jays to be chosen for this year’s Major League Baseball All-Star Game.