South Carolina Baseball: The top Gamecock commitments to go straight to the pros
By Kevin Miller
Former South Carolina Baseball commitments who went on to good Major League Baseball careers
Chris Owings: Chris Owings (2009, 1st round pick by the Arizona Diamondbacks) was an elite prospect out of Gilbert High School and was always destined to be a straight-to-the-pros talent. He took some time to make it up through the Minors, but he has since carved out an 11-year career in which he has primarily served as a utility backup.
Owings led the majors in triples in 2016. He was a primary starter for five seasons with Diamondbacks in the middle of his career, but Owings’ defensive versatility (a plus-defender at shortstop, second base, third base, and in the outfield) has been his calling card as an important backup on numerous teams since leaving Arizona.
Jordan Lyles: Jordan Lyles (2008, 1st round pick by the Houston Astros) was a Gamecock commitment who would have gotten to school at the same time as Carolina greats like Jackie Bradley, Jr., Michael Roth, and Matt Price. That means he would have played on at least one of the Gamecocks’ national championship squads and pitched in a loaded Carolina rotation with Roth, Price, Blake Cooper, Sam Dyson, and Jay Brown.
Instead, Lyles became a professional and is currently in his 13th year of Major League Baseball. He has been a journeyman, primarily as a starter, but has stuck in the league for well over a decade. He has logged over 1000 strikeouts in his MLB career. His best day as a pro came when he played for Astros. Lyles beat the Brewers almost single-handedly when he pitched a complete game shutout and hit his first career home run.
Gavin Floyd: Gavin Floyd (2001, 1st round pick by the Philadelphia Phillies) was a friend and high school teammate of fellow future MLB star Mark Teixeira. While Teixeira committed to Georgia Tech, Floyd pledged his services to South Carolina. Floyd, a couple of years younger than Teixeira, opted to skip college altogether after being drafted in the first round by the Phillies.
Floyd put together a 13-year career in Major League Baseball with five different organizations, including his hometown Atlanta Braves. He had stretches of really good pitching but battled far too many injuries to live up to his superstar potential.