CLEMSON, S.C. — On a day when four Clemson players were taken in the MLB Draft, Dutch Fork graduate Will Taylor was taken in the fifth round by the Pittsburgh Pirates with the 145th overall selection.
The Dutch Fork product came to Clemson as a dual sport athlete, playing football and baseball. He suffered a season-ending knee injury in October of 2021 in a game against Boston College. Taylor would make his debut on the diamond for Clemson the following April and he ended up playing in 13 games for the Tigers.
The following year, his sophomore season saw a healthy Taylor suit up for 62 games.
In April, Taylor made a diving attempt of a foul ball against N.C. State and ended up breaking a bone in his left wrist. While everyone in the Clemson camp had hopes Taylor would be healthy enough for the NCAA Regionals, he was never cleared and as a result, he played in just 32 games as a junior.
The other Tiger players who were chosen on Day 2 of the MLB Draft are -
Blake Wright in the fourth round (No. 106 overall) to the Colorado Rockies,
Austin Gordon in the fourth round (No. 110 overall) to the Los Angeles Angels
Tristan Smith in the fifth round (No. 150 overall) to the Cincinnati Reds.
