Former Clemson Tigers Star Slugger Projected to Go Early in MLB Draft

The Clemson Tigers baseball team had a solid 2024 season, but one of their former players soared into a College World Series win with his new team.

Billy Amick left Clemson after his breakout sophomore season and became a key reason that the Tennessee Volunteers had their championship run this year.

He's now draft-eligible and has the potential to go as high as the first round in the upcoming MLB draft.

In the latest mock draft from MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo, he was the No. 32 overall selection by the Baltimore Orioles during Competitive Balance Round A.

After virtually not playing during his freshman season, only 19 plate appearances, he burst onto the scene in a big way as a sophomore.

He raked his way to an absurd .413/.464/.773 slashing line while launching 13 home runs and driving in 63 runs.

The North Carolina native vastly improved his plate disciple. In his 19 trips to the plate as a freshman, he struck out 11 times. He was fanned just 32 times in all of 2023.

One other thing he wanted to improve, was his fielding. After being stuck as either a designated hitter or first baseman with the Tigers, he wanted the chance to flash some leather.

With that in mind, he transferred to Tennessee where he would get the opportunity to play third base.

While his otherworldly numbers came down a bit during his junior season, it was still very impressive. He slashed .306/.387/.639 with an improved 23 long balls.

The 21-year-old wasn't a game-changing defender, but showed that he could potentially be adequate in the role at the next level.

"Amick has a quality right-handed swing and repeatedly barrels balls despite frequently chasing pitches out of the strike zone. His aggressive approach yields hard contact to all fields but does cut into his walk totals," said his MLB scouting report. "His bat speed and strength create plus raw power that plays all over the ballpark and should translate into 20-25 homers per season."

While it is nice to see former players doing well, keeping him around could have meant big things for the prestige of the program, as he will be more known for his time as a Volunteer.

If the Clemson baseball program continues to improve as they have been under Erik Bakich, they could eventually have the resources to keep star players home. Their 44-16 record in 2024 saw them secure their first regional championship since 2010.