Sam Weatherly Drafted by Colorado Rockies
Clemson starting pitcher Sam Weatherly was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the third round of the MLB Draft on Thursday night.
Weatherly, the 81st selection overall in the five-round draft, was inserted into the Tigers starting rotation in 2020, and the junior did not disappoint. The hard-throwing lefty posted a 2-0 record, with an ERA of 0.79 across his four starts, and opponents hit just 0.96 against him.
Weatherly is the second ACC pitcher taken by the Rockies, who also drafted Miami's Chris McMahon in the second round. This is the same organization that drafted former Clemson star Ben Paulsen in the third round of the 2009 draft and former quarterback Kyle Parker in the first round of the 2010 draft.
Weatherly finishes his career at Clemson with a 4-0 record and an ERA of 3.48 over 33 appearances. Opponents hit just .195 against him and he struck out 106 hitters in just 72.1 innings pitched.
He spent his first two seasons as a Tiger mostly pitching out of the bullpen, and at times struggled with command. However, he would win the role of the teams Friday night starter in 2020, and was absolutely dominant, despite the shortened season.
Clemson head coach Monte Lee does not mince words when asked about the potential of Weatherly.
"He's tough as nails," Monte Lee said. "He's super-athletic. I think he's a first-round pick, but that's my opinion."
Weatherly, out of Howell, Michigan, earned All American honors from Collegiate Baseball after striking out 43 batters in just 22.2 innings pitched last season. He had at least eight strikeouts in each of his four starts, and at least 10 in each of his final three.
"He was dominant for us," Lee said. "I really hated that this (shortened season) happened, because we didn't get a chance to see a true dominant Friday night starter and let Sam Weatherly do his thing for a whole season."
The college baseball season may have been cut short, but Weatherly was still able to prove his worth. His best outing of the season came on the road in Columbia, against the in-state rival South Carolina Gamecocks.
In one of the biggest games of the season, Weatherly was as close to flawless as you can get. He tossed seven no-hit innings, while striking out 11, and walking three. He was awarded the Bob Bradley Award as the Clemson MVP of the series for the performance.
The Rockies are getting a guy that Lee says ranks right up there with anyone in the country. Left-handed pitchers that throw as hard as Weatherly does just don't come around very often.
"I think he's a big-leaguer," Lee said. "I think he's one of the best starting pitchers in the country."