South Carolina Baseball: The top Gamecock commitments to go straight to the pros
By Kevin Miller
The Former South Carolina Baseball commitments who went on to be Major League Baseball All-Stars
Corey Seager: Corey Seager (2012, 1st round pick by Los Angeles Dodgers) was a South Carolina baseball commit, but everyone knew he’d never make it to campus. The younger brother of big leaguer Kyle Seager, Corey was called up to the Show in 2015 and has been one of the best shortstops in the league ever since.
Seager won the Rookie of the Year award in the National League, has made four All-Star teams, led the league in doubles in 2019, leads the league in batting average in 2023, and has two top-10 MVP seasons all before turning 30. If not for several seasons being marred with injuries, Seager would be on his way to being considered an all-time great.
Gorman Thomas: Gorman Thomas (1969, 1st round pick by the Seattle Pilots) was a Columbia kid who played at Cardinal Newman High School before returning to his childhood home of Charleston. Thomas elected to pursue a professional career over enrolling at the University of South Carolina after becoming the first-ever draft pick for the Seattle Pilots (future Milwaukee Brewers).
Thomas led all of Minor League Baseball in both home runs and strikeouts in 1971 and 1972. He split time between Triple-A and the Big Leagues the next handful of seasons before becoming a star in 1978. “Stormin’ Gorman” led the American League in home runs twice, made an All-Star team, and hit more homers than any other player in the AL from 1978-1983. He is a member of the American Family Field Walk of Fame for his athletic excellence in the city of Milwaukee.
Wil Myers: Wil Myers (2009, 3rd round pick by the Kansas City Royals) was an elite high school talent out of North Carolina who spurned the Tar Heels to commit to the Gamecocks. However, as the catcher-turned-corner infielder/corner outfielder soon discovered, he was going to make a lot of money playing baseball.
Instead of playing on two Gamecock national championship squads, Myers was playing Minor League Baseball after signing for over $2 Million. Myers was the American League Rookie of the Year in 2013 for the Tampa Bay Rays and has had a good decade-long career in MLB that included one All-Star Game appearance in 2016 and a 16th-place finish for MVP in 2020. He hit for the cycle in 2017 against the Colorado Rockies.
Chad Billingsley: Chad Billingsley (2003, 1st round by the Los Angeles Dodgers) chose the pro route after being offered almost $1.5 Million to skip college. He rose up through the Minor Leagues to become the top-ranked prospect in the Dodgers organization before his call-up in 2006.
Billingsley was very good early in his career and even pitched his way to an All-Star Game in 2009. Injuries started piling up for the righty, though, and he was never able to recapture his All-Star form. Even still, Billingsley pitched for 10 years in the Bigs and was just the 12th Dodger to reach 1000 strikeouts with the franchise.