2023 MLB Draft: Gamecock pitcher goes in 4th round

South Carolina baseball starting pitcher Will Sanders came into the 2023 season as a projected 1st round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. Things did not go as planned for the 6’6″ right-hander this season, however. Sanders struggled for most of the year and battled a mysterious lower body injury during the second half of the year.

Sanders did look better when he returned to the field in the postseason. Sanders pitched in a bullpen role in both the regional and super regional rounds of the NCAA Tournament, and he showed off one of the country’s best sliders. He racked up big strikeout totals in the Columbia regional, relying heavily on that wipeout slider.

One of the most polarizing players in the 2023 MLB Draft because of his tremendous talent and subpar performance this season, Sanders replenished some of his emptying draft stock with his performance as a reliever at the end of the season, and MLB teams took notice. Specifically, the Chicago Cubs noticed as they selected Sanders with the 2023 MLB Draft’s 113th pick.

Sanders is a big-time talent who could see himself with a successful career either as a starter or as a reliever. He has good velocity on his fastball, but his slider, when it is on, is one of the best secondary pitches in the draft.

The Cubs are still rebuilding after the slide that followed their 2016 World Series win. Much of their young talent are offensive players, so the Cubs taking a pitcher like Sanders early in the draft is unsurprising.

Sanders joined Jack Mahoney as Gamecocks taken in the 2023 MLB Draft. He has another year of eligibility remaining in college baseball, but he is expected to sign and turn pro unless the contract negotiations with the Cubs go south. Sanders is a client of superagent Scott Boras, so that is always a possibility.