Talented freshman 'close' to making Clemson baseball debut

Clemson freshman Will Taylor turned down the opportunity to be a first-round pick in the MLB draft to attend Clemson and play two sports for the Tigers.

Taylor made several plays for Clemson during football season, before suffering a torn ACL in Week 5 against Boston College.

He has yet to play in a baseball game for Monte Lee’s club, but that is “close” to changing.

Lee was asked earlier this week when Taylor might make his season debut and said it will be soon.

“He’s close. I mean he’s playing balls off the bat in the outfield. He’s taking BP,” Lee said. “I would say we could see him in action potentially in the next two weeks.”

Taylor was expected to be a big part of Clemson’s 2022 baseball team, before tearing his ACL during football season.

He has all of the tools that you look for in an outfielder, which is what made him one of the top players in last year’s MLB draft.

Perfect Game lists him as the No. 3 overall and college prospect for the 2024 MLB draft.

There may be some rust for Taylor early on, but there is no doubt that he will immediately be one of the most talented players in the lineup.

Lee is unsure exactly how he will use Taylor when he first comes back.

We have heard that early May is the most likely timetable for his return.

“Whether we use him in some DH at bats early or whether we just stick him out there and play him, we haven’t quite made that decision,” Lee said. “I’ll cross that bridge when I get there. But I know that we need to use him, because he’s a very talented player and he can help us.”

Clemson is currently 24-13 (4-10) heading into a big weekend series against Florida State.

The Tigers have won five of six games entering the series with the Seminoles.

Clemson is starting to play very good baseball and is close to getting an important piece of its roster on the field for the first time.

“It’s going to take some time,” Lee said of Taylor playing to his potential. “There’s some rust there. He hasn’t played. But as far as getting him in there, timing’s never great. … You’ve just gotta figure it out. That’s my job. My job’s just to figure it out, put him in a position to be successful and put him in a position to help us win games.”