Clemson's Caden Grice: A Mix Between Sandy Koufax and Barry Bonds?

Maybe it's a tad early to compare Caden Grice to all-time great baseball players, but the talented freshmen could be one of the most memorable Clemson players in recent years, and that's really saying something.

Get ready for the Caden Grice Show. 

Grab your popcorn, even if you're watching at home due to the pandemic, rush to the your seat and hold on to the edge of it every time this young man takes the mound or steps up to the plate when the Clemson Tigers begin the 2021 season Feb. 19. 

You're going to get your money's worth and then some if Clemson's latest two-way true freshman star lives up to even just a little bit of the hype. 

There are stars, and then there are superstars. Think Seth Beer. The former Tiger slugger and MLB first-round draft pick fits into the latter category. There are few players before and since who have it as many home runs and displayed absurd talent like the All-American and National Player of the Year. 

Think Logan Davidson. The former shortstop for Clemson could've been a right-out-of-high-school draft pick but wanted a specific signing bonus that MLB teams failed to match. So he went to Clemson and became one of the most feared infielders in the college game by his junior and final season. Davidson went on to be a first-round pick himself. 

Think Sam Weatherly. Well, at least he was on his way to stardom when last season was cut short. The starting pitcher had an ERA well below 1.00 in four starts and had one of the best strikeout rates in the country. He went in the third round, but imagine where he had been if COVID-19 hadn't halted the season. 

Those are a few examples of the types of really good players Clemson head coach Monte Lee has worked with in his five years with the program. Heading into his sixth, Grice might top them all, even Beer. 

"I'm very, very cautious about trying to compare Caden to other guys and to put too much outside pressure on him as a player because he's still a developing young man," Lee said on The Press Box on 105.5 The Roar last Friday morning. 

That's nice of Lee, but then he went on to say things that didn't stifle any hype. He just increased it. 

"The power this young man has is unlike anybody I've ever coached as far as pure, raw-power potential," Lee said.

Uh, he coached Beer, one of the most powerful college baseball players the game has ever seen. So what in the world is Grice going to turn into?

Lee said the freshman hit five home runs in the team's first five intrasquad scrimmages. Two of those came in one game: a shot off the roof of the batting cage that sits well behind the right-field wall at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. The second dang near hit the clock on top of the scoreboard toward left, an "oppo taco" as the kids say. 

Lee pointed out that he's incredibly raw with homers that travel 450-feet, but Grice needs to learn the art of hitting and not strike out a ton. Lee wants him to be more like Atlanta Braves star Freddie Freeman and not former big-time prospect Joey Gallo, who Lee says Grice is compared to, but "if the ball gets hit in the air, it goes out of the park," Lee said.

After all, Grice is a 6-foot-6, 240-pound lefty who also plays a solid first base. Brad Brownell could use that size around the basket. Dabo Swinney would stick him at tight end and let wreck some poor, unassuming linebacker. Larry Penley would teach him out to drive a golf ball like Bryson DeChambeau.

Instead, Lee gets to use him in two positions because here's the thing: Grice can pitch, really well actually. Lee says he's got a 90-93 mph fastball that will develop into the mid-90s as he gets older. Grice has a "good breaking ball, a good changeup" and will very likely be in Clemson's starting rotation. 

By the time he's been in school for three years, Lee says Grice will "warrant top-3 round looks as a pitcher." His coach calls him a "big-time pro prospect" on the mound. 

So what are actually talking about here? What's a realistic expectation for Grice? Because the Greer, S.C., native, sounds like a mix between Sandy Koufax and Barry Bonds. 

Alright, maybe that's a tad of an exaggeration. Let's tone it down a bit and go Clayton Kershaw and Larry Walker. 

OK, even that is a little too much for a young man who hasn't played a single inning of college baseball yet. Fine, for now, let's just say he's got the ability to be one of the most memorable Clemson Tigers in a long time. 

And that in itself is really saying something.