South Carolina Baseball: The top Gamecock commitments to go straight to the pros
By Kevin Miller
Former South Carolina Baseball commitments who are current top prospects in Major League Baseball
Cooper Kinney: Cooper Kinney (2021, 1st round pick by the Tampa Bay Rays) elected to sign with Tampa Bay after being a 1st round selection two seasons ago. The infielder is one of the top-30 prospects in the organization but has battled some shoulder issues since coming into the professional ranks.
Blaze Alexander: Blaze Alexander (2018, 11th round pick by the Arizona Diamondbacks) was a surprise loss for South Carolina baseball in the class of 2018. He has taken some time in the Minors but has moved his way up the prospect list. An offense-first infielder, Alexander could be the next big piece called up as the DBacks transition from rebuild to contention.
Tyler Callihan: Tyler Callihan (2019, 3rd round pick by the Cincinnati Reds) probably should have gone to college. He has really struggled in Minor League Baseball, and the missed season of 2020 (the Minors had no season that year due to the Covid-19 pandemic) certainly didn’t help his cause. The infielder has not performed well defensively and has just been a marginal offensive player.
Owen White: Owen White (2018, 2nd round pick by the Texas Rangers) has had an unfortunate road through the lower levels of professional baseball. An injury during a pre-draft workout started a long battle with various ailments that set back his development along with the missed 2020 season. White’s talent is so high, though, that he was still called up once for the Texas Rangers this season. He played in the 2023 Futures Game during All-Star Weekend.
Taj Bradley: Taj Bradley (2018, 5th round pick by the Tampa Bay Rays) is shedding his prospect status soon as he has been up for most of the year with the Rays. Bradley was one of the top prospects in baseball before settling in as a starter in 2023. He has not had a great year, but his potential is obvious, and the former Gamecock commitment has a stellar 80-19 K/BB ratio in just 61 1/3 innings pitched this season with the Big League club.