MLB Draft could significantly impact Clemson baseball’s roster. Here’s how
Since baseball recruits can go pro directly out of high school, it’s not uncommon for a top college program to lose a few of its best prospects to the MLB Draft each July.
This year, Clemson is in the unenviable situation of possibly losing a top transfer, too.
Heading into the 2025 MLB Draft, which runs Sunday and Monday in Atlanta, the Tigers and coach Erik Bakich hold a commitment from Newnan (Georgia) High School shortstop Dax Kilby. Kilby has been a pre-draft riser and considered a late first-round talent.
But Clemson must also brace for the potential loss of Ryan Wideman, arguably their best transfer portal acquisition this offseason.
Wideman, an All-American at Western Kentucky this season, is a 6-foot-5 outfielder who runs like a gazelle and racks up extra-base hits.
Add in his Tigers roots — his father, Tom, was a four-year starting center for Clemson basketball from 1995-99 — and it’s no wonder Clemson fans were fired up upon his June 11 commitment.
But Wideman is also a draft-eligible junior, and all those good vibes could disappear if he’s taken within the top five rounds of the MLB Draft. Picks in that range carry a “slot value” of anywhere from $1 million to $400,000, and that’s before bonuses.
Baseball America draft analyst Peter Flaherty has a pretty good idea of how things will go from there for Wideman, who led Conference USA with a .398 batting average and 97 hits in 2025.
“I think that he’s going to take what he gets,” Flaherty said. “I’d be floored beyond belief if he makes it to campus.”
Two top Clemson recruits headed to MLB?
Wideman currently ranks No. 146 on MLB.com’s top 250 prospects list and No. 205 on ESPN’s ranking. That’s well below players such as Clemson junior outfielder Cam Cannarella (No. 36/ESPN No. 27) and high school signee Kilby (No. 62/No. 28) but well within “take the money and go” range.
For years, college baseball programs could do nothing but hold firm on their scholarship offer and hope when a top recruit was taken high in the MLB Draft. Now, Flaherty said, retention of top players is “more of a factor” since athletes can earn name, image and likeness (NIL) money.
But he doesn’t see that applying with Wideman, who had an elite offensive season for a WKU team that made the NCAA Tournament and was an All-American.
Bakich said Clemson also expects Wideman to be picked within the top five rounds.
“If (he) slipped further than that, then we’d be very happy,” Bakich said on June 25 on the SportsTalkSC radio show.
Kilby’s future feels like even more of a foregone conclusion. The high school shortstop, who has been committed to Clemson since fall 2023, turned heads at the MLB Combine in May and is considered a first-round talent. MLB.com has Kilby going No. 28 overall to the Royals; ESPN has him going No. 37 to the Orioles.
“He fits into that Day One conversation, without a doubt,” Flaherty said of Kilby.
What other Clemson players could be drafted?
Three other Clemson players worth monitoring are high school left-handed pitcher signee Nick Frusco, Mercer transfer infielder Ty Dalley and Tigers starting catcher Jacob Jarrell. Frusco is No. 249 on MLB.com’s top 250 list, and Dalley (who smashed 58 career home runs at Mercer) and Jarrell are both draft-eligible juniors.
There’s a legitimate chance some or all of those players go pro, too, Flaherty said. But since they’re not top-tier prospects, their decisions will likely depend on what round they’re drafted (there are 20 rounds) and how much money is on the table.
This story was originally published July 11, 2025 at 10:54 AM.
