How the 2023 MLB Draft impacted South Carolina baseball and its 2024 roster plans
The 2023 MLB Draft is in the books, and the South Carolina baseball team has a slew of players heading to pro ball.
Six current Gamecocks were drafted this week. While none of those selections came as a surprise, USC also lost a top signee and an incoming transfer player to the draft.
The 2023 draftees are headlined by junior starting pitchers Jack Mahoney (Colorado Rockies) and Will Sanders (Chicago Cubs), who were selected in the third and fourth round, respectively, on Monday.
Before the season, Sanders was projected as a first-round pick, but his stock slipped after a season marred by inconsistency and a late-season leg injury. Mahoney took the opposite trajectory, coming back from Tommy John surgery and cementing a role as the team’s ace. Both players have eligibility remaining and could theoretically return to school, but the majority of players drafted in the first 10 rounds go on to sign with the MLB team that selects them.
Behind Mahoney and Sanders were three Gamecocks seniors who were also drafted last year but returned to school in a bid to improve their pro stock. Right-handers Noah Hall (20th round) and James Hicks (15th round) and infielder Braylen Wimmer (18th round) all heard their names called in 2022 but pooled together and decided to play another college season.
Hall, despite missing the last half of the season with a back injury, improved his stock by 13 rounds, going to the New York Mets in round seven Monday. Wimmer was right behind him in round eight, joining USC teammate Mahoney in the Rockies organization. Hicks had to wait a little longer — until Tuesday’s Day 3 of the draft — but still was selected two rounds higher than last year, going in the 13th round to the Houston Astros.
None of those players were going to factor into USC’s 2024 season, but transfer pitcher Matt Duffy and outfielder signee George Wolkow likely would have had they not been drafted.
A highly coveted right-hander from Canisius and the reigning MAAC pitcher of the year, Duffy announced a commitment to the Gamecocks last week and would’ve likely competed for a role in the weekend rotation. However, the Boston Red Sox dashed those plans when they selected Duffy in the fourth round at pick No. 115 — just two picks after the Cubs selected Sanders.
Chad Jennings, a Red Sox writer for The Athletic, reported that the team is expected to sign Duffy “to a slightly below slot deal, but they view him as a legitimate prospect.” With Mahoney, Sanders, Hall and Hicks headed to pro ball, USC’s weekend rotation will look entirely different next season, and Duffy could have helped make up for those losses.
Wolkow, a powerful 6-foot-7 left-handed hitter from Illinois, was selected by his hometown Chicago White Sox in the seventh round and has already expressed his intent to sign, pulling another promising talent from the Gamecocks’ 2024 roster. Wolkow ranked as a Top 100 prospect by both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline.
“Sometimes a player just wants to sign and forego a college career,” White Sox director of amateur scouting Mike Shirley told the media. “George Wolkow is ready to start his pro career, and the White Sox walked into that opportunity and are truly excited about the upside he brings to this organization.”
Late in Day 3, in the 19th round of 20 rounds, the New York Yankees selected redshirt sophomore right-hander Cade Austin, a reliever for the Gamecocks. With eligibility remaining, Austin could have the toughest decision to make of all the USC draftees.
Gamecocks in the 2023 MLB Draft
Round 3 (77) Jack Mahoney, Colorado Rockies
Round 4 (113) Will Sanders, Chicago Cubs
Round 4 (115) Matt Duffy*, Boston Red Sox
Round 7 (209) George Wolkow*, Chicago White Sox
Round 7 (216) Noah Hall, New York Mets
Round 8 (232) Braylen Wimmer, Colorado Rockies
Round 13 (404) James Hicks, Houston Astros
Round 19 (582) Cade Austin, New York Yankees
* denotes incoming player
