Paul Mainieri shares why he is 'sweating out' next month's MLB Draft
This is nothing new to Paul Mainieri. He’s already been through it four times in his 40-year career.
But as he begins his fifth head coaching job, this time at South Carolina, he was quickly reminded of how busy things can get from the jump.
“You just don’t have enough time in the day to do everything you want to do,” Mainieri told GamecockCentral. “You’ve got to get yourself settled in with human resources, you got to get your staff settled in, you got to get on the road recruiting. I mean, there’s just so much going on at one time. It’s always a busy job. But when you just start a job, it’s like times 100.”
In his first few weeks on the job, Mainieri has already had a lot on his plate. One of his main tasks has been putting together a roster for the 2025 season. And it can be tricky with the transfer portal, which is still new for him, as well as navigating who stays and goes in the upcoming MLB Draft.
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Last week, the MLB Draft Combine took place in Phoenix, Arizona, giving players an opportunity to showcase their skills. Multiple current and future Gamecocks were invited to attend, including Eli Jones, Eli Jerzembeck, Roman Kimball and Cole Messina from the 2024 team. In addition, signees Brandon Clarke, Beau Hollins, Carson Messina and PJ Morlando were also on hand.
In the days after the combine wrapped up, Mainieri had a chance to speak with those players and said, “They all were happy with how they did.”
“When I call these kids, I have conversations about their hopes and what they what they believe. And then I kind of tell them what my thoughts are without really having seen them as players. And then I’m trying to gauge also what their intentions are with professional baseball. This time of year with all teams is always everything’s so up in the air,” he said.
“You can’t know, because of the draft, who you’re going to have back. And then now with the fluidity of rosters because of the transfer portal — it’s the first time I’ve dealt with that, and it just makes everything still way up in the air. So what we’re trying to do is just make sure we’re covered in case the draft hits us hard. But that also means we may have a few too many players. So then, when the dust settles and we see where we are, then we’ll start having some more intense conversations with people.”
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While it’s not official, it would seem Cole Messina will be turning pro after thanking South Carolina in an Instagram post earlier in the week. Plus, there is a possibility that if any of the high school recruits are drafted high enough, they could go straight into pro ball.
The name Mainieri has kept an eye on, though, is Jerzembeck, Despite just wrapping up his sophomore year, he is draft eligible at 21 years old. And as the draft approaches, he said he’s been sweating out the possibility of losing him.
“He’s one player that I’ve really spent a lot of time with,” Mainieri said. “I met with him three or four times already. And I really, really like him. He’s got a great personality, very confident kid. He obviously has talent.”
Jerzembeck missed the entire 2024 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in the previous spring. When he did pitch as a freshman, he showed some signs of what South Carolina could be getting in the future. He finished with a 2.84 ERA in 16 appearances (three starts) and struck out 36 with six walks.
Mainieri said Jerzembeck didn’t make the trip to the combine because he wasn’t ready to throw yet. But despite his injury and recovery time, that doesn’t mean teams won’t be interested in his services.
According to Perfect Game, the right-hander is the 174th-best prospect out of 400 for the draft. Depending on what round he goes in, he could decide not to return to school. But Mainieri believes there are benefits to coming back, too.
“He’s the kind of kid that’s capable of being a difference maker on your staff,” he said. “I honestly believe in my heart that he wants to be here next year and prove himself. And then the following year, I think he’ll be in really good status for the draft. … Selfishly, I’m hoping that he wants to be here for next year. And if he is, I think he’ll have a very vital role on our team.”
