Six current Gamecocks taken on Day 3 of MLB Draft
The run of South Carolina baseball players selected in the Major League draft continued Wednesday.
It started as reliever Graham Lawson was picked in the 13th round by the Washington Nationals. The Arizona Diamondbacks drafted L.T. Tolbert as a shortstop later in the same round.
Pitcher Ridge Chapman joined Lawson as the Nationals took him in the 17th round. Infielder Jonah Bride was taken by the Oakland A's and the Chicago Cubs took Hunter Taylor in the 23rd round. The Cincinnati Reds picked reliever Eddy Demurias in the 27th round.
Bride and Taylor are seniors but the others are juniors so they have the option to return for their senior seasons.
So far, the Gamecocks have tied a record with nine players being selected in the draft. There still are 16 rounds left.
Lawson is 1-1 with a 4.38 ERA and three saves in 20 relief appearances. He spent two years at Spartanburg Methodist before transferring to USC.
Tolbert is a junior and could come back for his senior year. He is hitting .322 with six homers and a team-high 51 RBIs this season.
Chapman is 1-4 with a 4.95 ERA in 15 appearances this season. He played two seasons at Spartanburg Methodist before transferring to USC this year.
Chapman was taken by the Boston Red Sox in the 39th round of the 2017 draft.
Bride has had a solid senior campaign, hitting .307 with four homers and 31 RBI. Taylor has been a mainstay for the Gamecocks behind the plate. He has started 44 games and is hitting .266 with eighth homers and 32 RBI.
Demurias has be USC’s most dependable reliever this season. He is 7-0 in a team-high 29 appearances with a 4.19 ERA. He has three saves.
Demurias began his career at the University of Florida and played last year at Miami Dade College before transferring to USC.
Four USC signees also went on day three.
USC signee Blaze Alexander went in the 11th round to the Arizona Diamondbacks. He was ranked No. 85 in Baseball America’s Top 500. Alexander, SS, played his senior season at IMG Academy and hit .403 with eight homers and 27 RBI this year.
The Cincinnati Reds picked Swansea senior and USC signee Josiah Sightler in the 12th round The 6-foot-4, 205 pounder was ranked No. 383 in Baseball America’s Top 500.
The New York Yankees picked pitcher Brady Allen in the 39th round and catcher Wes Clarke went to the Milwaukee Brewers in the 40th round.
South Carolina MLB draftees
Second round
55. Texas Rangers, Owen White, P, Jesse Carson HS (USC Signee)
Third Round
83. New York Mets, Carlos Cortes, INF
Fourth round
110. New York Mets, Adam Hill, P
Fifth round
150. Tampa Bay Rays, Taj Bradley, P, Redan HS (USC Signee)
Seventh round
223. Cleveland Indians, Cody Morris, P
10th round
287. Philadelphia Phillies, Madison Stokes, SS
11th round
339. Arizona Diamondbacks, Blaze Alexander, SS (USC Signee)
12th round
349. Cincinnati Reds, Josiah Sightler, 1B (USC Signee)
13th round
371. Washington Nationals, Graham Lawson, RHP
399. Arizona Diamondbacks, LT Tolbert, SS
17th round
521. Washington Nationals, Ridge Chapman, P
23rd round
683. Oakland A's, Jonah Bride, 3B
698. Chicago Cubs, Hunter Taylor, C
27th round
799. Cincinnati Reds, Eddy Demurias, P
39th round
1177. New York Yankees, Brady Allen, P, George Jenkins HS (USC Signee)
40th round
1205. Milwaukee Brewers, Wes Clarke, C Liberty Christian Academy HS (USC Signee)
This story was originally published June 6, 2018 at 12:42 PM with the headline "Six current Gamecocks taken on Day 3 of MLB Draft."