How former Gamecocks fared during MLB's first half

It’s hard to believe the first half of the MLB season has come and gone. With the All-Star break over, all 30 teams will begin the second half on Friday. Since Opening Day, a lot has changed for the South Carolina alums in the pros. There’s been some new faces and even an All-Star. Here’s a look at each player in The Show.

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Jonah Bride — Oakland A’s

After getting a taste of the big leagues last year, Bride began this season in Triple-A. Eventually, the A’s called him back up on May 29. Bride batted .196/.323/.216 with 10 hits and four RBI. He struck out 13 times and walked seven. The A’s re-optioned the former Gamecocks third baseman back to the minors on June 30, where he has been since.

Wil Crowe — Pittsburgh Pirates

Crowe’s third season in Pittsburgh hasn’t gone as he probably would’ve hoped. He’s pitching to a 4.66 ERA and hasn’t made an appearance since April 17. He was placed on the injured list with right shoulder discomfort a week later. Crowe began a rehab assignment with the Bradenton Marauders on July 2. So far, he’s 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA and two strikeouts over 3.1 innings pitched. With the Pirates sitting in fourth place in the NL Central, they’ll need Crowe back soon if they want to get back in the race.

TJ Hopkins — Cincinnati Reds

After spending three and a half years in the minors, Hopkins found out he was finally going to The Show. In his first game with the Reds, Hopkins picked up his first career RBI, a bases-loaded walk. Two days later, he notched his first hit, a third-inning single into right field off Brewers pitcher Julio Teheran. But much like any rookie, there were some struggles. He picked up three hits in his next 18 at-bats. The Reds optioned the former Gamecocks outfielder to Triple-A on June 18.

Carmen Mlodzinski — Pittsburgh Pirates

Mlodzinski, a former high draft pick of the Pirates, made his MLB debut on June 16. He threw 1.1 innings, giving up his first career home run in the process. Since then, the 24-year-old right-hander has settled in nicely. He’s pitching to a 2.31 ERA in 10 games. Opponents have batted .190 with nine strikeouts. As of right now, Mlodzinski should remain with the big league club going into the second half. The Pirates are a young team without much of a chance to make the playoffs. This is the perfect time to see what young guys like him can do.

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Whit Merrifield — Toronto Blue Jays

After what could be considered a sub-par season, it was safe to assume Merrifield, now 34, might be on the decline. But he’s shown that he’s aging like a fine wine. In his first full year with the Jays, Merrifield has slashed .286/.342/.392 with 86 hits, five homers and 38 RBI. Oh yeah, and he’s now a three-time all-star. Merrifield made the AL All-Star squad, joining his teammates Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette and Jordan Romano. He went 1-for-2 with an eighth-inning single off Padres reliever Josh Hader.

Jordan Montgomery — St. Louis Cardinals

In what has been an abysmal season for the Cardinals, Montgomery has been solid. In fact, he’s arguably been the team’s best starting pitcher. He’s 6-7 with a 3.23 ERA and 96 strikeouts to 27 walks in 103 innings. It’s all the more impressive considering he’s doing it without help from future Hall of Fame catcher Yadier Molina calling games. The next best St. Louis starter, Miles Mikolas, owns a 4.23 ERA.

Montgomery’s current contract expires after this season. There’s a good chance that the Cardinals will deal him to a contending team at the trade deadline. Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak made it clear that the team will trade players at the deadline and focus on 2024.

Cody Morris — Cleveland Guardians

Morris, one of the better Gamecocks pitchers to come through the program, has been up and down between the majors and minors this year. He’s been rehabbing from a right teres major strain for most of the season. Since making his full recovery, he’s been sent down and called up once. In his short time with the Guardians, he’s thrown two scoreless innings with a trio of strikeouts to zero walks. The Guardians recalled Morris from Triple-A on July 6.

Clarke Schmidt — New York Yankees

At the start of spring training, Schmidt was fighting just to be the fifth starter in the Yankees’ rotation. But a slew of injuries rose, and Schmidt, who had a nice spring, earned a spot as a starter. Schmidt got off to a nightmarish start, going 0-3 with a 6.84 ERA in April. Hitters were batting .321 against him. But once May started, he found his rhythm and has settled in nicely. In his last 13 starts, Schmidt is 4-3 with a 3.98 ERA, only giving up six homers. He had given up seven in April.

Christian Walker — Arizona Diamondbacks

If you thought last year would be a one-hit wonder for Walker, who smacked 36 homers and drove in 94 runs, you thought wrong. So far this season, the former Gamecocks infielder has been a solid hitting first baseman. He’s slashing .265/.336/.512 with 18 homers and 58 RBI. The Diamondbacks are playing some of their best baseball, sitting in first in the NL West heading into the second half. There’s no doubt that Walker has been a huge part of that success.

Other notable players

If you haven’t been following along much this season, you might think there’s one name missing. And you’d be right. Jackie Bradley Jr. started the year with the Kansas City Royals but was released on June 16. He batted .133 with 14 hits in 105 at-bats. Everybody knows Bradley for what he brings on defense. But with hitting being so important, it might be tough for his bat to stick around in the long run.

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