Clemson first baseman, pitcher Caden Grice selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2023 MLB Draft

One of the best two-way players in college baseball this past season is now off to the Major Leagues. Clemson star first baseman and left-handed pitcher Caden Grice was taken by the Arizona Diamondbacks with the 64th pick in the 2023 MLB Draft.

Grice, a 6-foot-6, 250-pound junior from Greer, South Carolina, played three seasons for the Tigers. He started his career mostly as a hitter, making few appearances as a pitcher in his freshman and sophomore seasons, throwing just 16 innings.

However, during that span he swung an impressive bat. He hit .317 with 53 RBI and 15 home runs as a true freshman, leading the Tigers in run production that season. He slumped somewhat in 2022, hitting .244 with 12 long balls and 40 RBI.

Then he was white-hot from the mound and batters box in 2023. Grice hit for a .307 average with 18 home runs, 15 doubles and 68 RBI. As a pitcher, he went 8-1 and posted a 3.35 ERA across 78 inning in 14 starts.

Grice was a semifinalist for the 2023 Golden Spikes Award, given annually to the top collegiate baseball player in America.

More on the 2023 MLB Draft

The 2023 Major League Baseball Draft will begin during All-Star week, with the first two rounds getting underway at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 9. Rounds 3-10 will then begin at 2 p.m. ET on Monday, July 10, with rounds 11-20 starting at 2 p.m. ET on Tuesday, July 11.

This year’s MLB Draft is a historic one, as a draft lottery was used to determine the order for the first time. The Washington Nationals, Pittsburgh Pirates and Oakland Athletics each had a 16.5% chance to receive the No. 1 overall pick. Ultimately, Pittsburgh won the right to have the first selection, with Washington finishing right behind them at No. 2. Oakland, however, fell all the way down to No. 6 overall.

While the MLB Draft is always unpredictable, the consensus is that this year’s top prospects both hail from LSU, who won the 2023 College World Series. Pitcher Paul Skenes and outfielder Dylan Crews headline this year’s class, which is considered a deep one.

Within the first ten rounds of the draft, each slot is assigned a certain value. Each team has a bonus pool that they are able to spend on these picks, and players will sign at, above or below their assigned slot value.

In rounds 11-20, there is no assigned slot value and MLB teams are free to spend up to $150,000 to sign their picks from the second half of the draft. If they exceed the $150,000 mark, that added amount will be deducted from their bonus pool.

Following the final day of the 2023 MLB Draft, selected players will have until August 1 to sign a contract.