From Mike Sullivan back in 1979 to Logan Davidson in 2019, here's every Clemson Tigers player taken in the first round of the MLB Draft.
Clemson baseball has held a fairly common place in the first round of the MLB draft through the years, and the program could see another player added to that list in 2025.
The 2025 MLB draft begins at 6 p.m. ET Sunday in Atlanta to kick off All-Star Week festivities. The first three rounds of the draft will be televised on ESPN and MLB Network, with subsequent rounds (4-20) broadcast on MLB Network.
Cam Cannarella is hoping to become the first Clemson player selected in the first round since infielder Logan Davidson went No. 29 overall to the Oakland Athletics in 2019.
RELATED: Where Cam Cannarella lands in final 2025 MLB draft projections
The Tigers' MLB draft history is extensive, with first-round selections dating back to the late 1970s. The only No. 1 overall selection in school history remains right-hander Kris Benson, who went to the Pittsburgh Pirates with the top pick in 1996. Another Clemson pitcher followed Benson three picks later in that draft.
Here's a look at every former Clemson baseball player to be selected in the first round of an MLB draft through the years.
MLB draft 1979: Mike Sullivan, right-handed pitcher
- Years at Clemson: 1977-79
- Drafted by: Cincinnati Reds (27th overall)
- Years in MLB: 0
- Career stats (MILB only): 15-17, 2.89 ERA, 158 strikeouts, 81 walks, 246.1 innings pitched, 1.311 WHIP
Sullivan spent parts of four seasons in the minor leagues, working his way up to Double-A in the Eastern League in the Reds' organization.
MLB draft 1987: Bill Spiers, infielder
- Years at Clemson: 1985-87
- Drafted by: Milwaukee Brewers (13th overall)
- Years in MLB: 1989-2001
- Career MLB stats: .271 AVG, 37 HR, 158 doubles, 388 RBIs, .711 OPS
Spiers spent 13 seasons in the major leagues, primarily between the team that drafted him (Milwaukee) and the Houston Astros. He reached the postseason three times during the Astros' back-to-back-to-back National League Central division champion teams, batting .194 (7-for-36) in 11 playoff games.
Spiers also played for the Clemson football team as a punter in 1986, starting 11 games during the Tigers' ACC championship season under coach Danny Ford. His nephew, Carson Spiers, is currently a pitcher in the Cincinnati Reds' organization.
MLB draft 1995: David Miller, first baseman
- Years at Clemson: 1994-95
- Drafted by: Cleveland Indians (23rd overall)
- Years in MLB: 0
- Career MILB stats: .264 AVG, 32 home runs, 116 doubles, 254 RBIs, .716 OPS
Miller played six seasons in the minor leagues and advanced to Triple-A in his third professional season in 1998. After three seasons at Triple-A, he spent the following two years in Double-A before closing his career in the Atlantic League (independent) in 2003.
MLB draft 1996: Kris Benson, right-handed pitcher
- Years at Clemson: 1994-96
- Drafted by: Pittsburgh Pirates (1st overall)
- Years in MLB: 1999-2010
- Career MLB stats: 70-75, 4.42 ERA, 806 strikeouts, 441 walks, 1,243.2 innings pitched
As noted above, Benson is the only Clemson player in program history to be drafted with the top overall pick. He finished fourth in National League Rookie of the Year voting in 1999 after his debut season with the Pirates and was dealt to the New York Mets at the trade deadline in 2004 before re-signing with the club that offseason.
His days as a promising young prospect behind him, Benson would go on to pitch for three other clubs, making 30 starts for the Baltimore Orioles in 2006 and in brief appearances with the Texas Rangers (2009) and Arizona Diamondbacks (2010). He had only one season with an ERA under 4.00, his sophomore year in the big leagues with the Pirates in 2000.
MLB draft 1996: Billy Koch, right-handed pitcher
- Years at Clemson: 1994-96
- Drafted by: Toronto Blue Jays (4th overall)
- Years in MLB: 1999-2004
- Career MLB stats: 29-25, 3.89 ERA, 357 strikeouts, 191 walks, 163 saves, 407.1 innings pitched
Clemson had two players taken in the first four picks of the 1996 draft, with Koch making his major league debut in 1999 with the Blue Jays. He went on to save 31 games that year as the team's closer. Koch helped the Oakland A's advance to the ALCS in 2002 after posting a career-high 44 saves in the regular season while leading the American League with 84 relief appearances. He finished 11-4 with a 3.27 ERA in 93 2/3 innings that year.
MLB draft 1999: Mike Paradis, right-handed pitcher
- Years at Clemson: 1997-99
- Drafted by: Baltimore Orioles (13th overall)
- Years in MLB: 0
- Career MILB stats: 29-47, 5.24 ERA, 415 strikeouts, 312 walks, 576.2 innings pitched, 1.651 WHIP
Paradis spent parts of six seasons in the minor leagues but advanced past Double-A only briefly in 2004 with the Triple-A Ottawa Lynx.
MLB draft 2002: Khalil Greene, shortstop
- Years at Clemson: 1999-2002
- Drafted by: San Diego Padres (13th overall)
- Years in MLB: 2003-2009
- Career MLB stats: .245 AVG, 90 home runs, 157 doubles, 352 RBIs, .723 OPS
After winning both the Golden Spikes Award and the Dick Howser Trophy in his final season at Clemson, Greene quickly became the top prospect in the Padres' farm system prior to his first full major league season in 2004. That year, he finished second in National League Rookie of the Year voting behind Pirates outfielder Jason Bay.
Greene totaled double-digit home runs in five straight years between 2004-08, including his best season in the big leagues in 2008 when he had career-highs in homers (27), doubles (44) and RBIs (97). Greene is the last Clemson player to win the Golden Spikes Award.
MLB draft 2006: Tyler Colvin, outfielder
- Years at Clemson: 2004-2006
- Drafted by: Chicago Cubs (13th overall)
- Years in MLB: 2009-2014
- Career MLB stats: .239 AVG, 49 home runs, 63 doubles, 178 RBIs, .733 OPS
Another Clemson player taken with the 13th overall pick, Colvin went much higher than expected when Cubs scouting director Tim Wilken drafted him with their first pick in 2006. In his first full season with the Cubs in 2010, Colvin hit a career-high 20 home runs. His best all-around season came with another big league club: the Colorado Rockies in 2012. That year, Colvin hit 18 homers and had career-highs in batting average (.290) and doubles (27).
MLB draft 2007: Daniel Moskos, left-handed pitcher
- Years at Clemson: 2005-07
- Drafted by: Pittsburgh Pirates (4th overall)
- Years in MLB: 2011
- Career stats (MILB, MLB): 33-31, 4.28 ERA, 387 strikeouts, 227 walks, 534 innings pitched, 1.562 WHIP
Moskos spent only one season in the major leagues with the Pirates in 2011, appearing in 31 games in relief and posting a 2.96 ERA in 24 1/3 innings. Moskos is now in his first season as the Miami Marlins' pitching coach.
MLB draft 2010: Kyle Parker, outfielder
- Years at Clemson: 2008-2010
- Drafted by: Colorado Rockies (26th overall)
- Years in MLB: 2014-15
- Career MLB stats: .182 AVG, three home runs, four doubles, 12 RBIs, .513 OPS
- Career MILB stats: .284 AVG, 95 home runs, 120 doubles, 386 RBIs, .829 OPS
Parker is one of a small handful of players to play for two legendary Clemson coaches: Dabo Swinney and Jack Leggett. He was the Tigers' starting quarterback in 2009 and threw 20 touchdown passes and 2,526 yards. That same academic year, he smashed 20 home runs and batted .344 for a Tigers team that reached the College World Series in Omaha. Parker was inducted into the Clemson Athletic Hall of Fame in 2023.
MLB draft 2012: Richie Shaffer, third baseman
- Years at Clemson: 2010-12
- Drafted by: Tampa Bay Rays (25th overall)
- Years in MLB: 2015-16
- Career MLB stats: .213 AVG, five home runs, nine doubles, 10 RBIs, .720 OPS
- Career MILB stats: .237 AVG, 111 home runs, 149 doubles, 398 RBIs, .763 OPS
Shaffer spent parts of seven seasons in the minor leagues with two stints at the big league level in 2015 and '16. He made the Florida State League (Class High-A) All-Star team in 2013, and the Triple-A All-Star team in 2017 after hitting a career-high 30 home runs in 131 games for the Columbus Clippers. While at Clemson, Shaffer batted .324 and slugged 27 home runs to go with 46 doubles in three seasons.
MLB draft 2018: Seth Beer, first baseman
- Years at Clemson: 2016-18
- Drafted by: Houston Astros (28th overall)
- Years in MLB: 2021-22
- Career MLB stats: .208 AVG, two home runs, four doubles, 13 RBIs, .586 OPS
- Career MILB stats: .274 AVG, 98 home runs, 132 doubles, 396 RBIs, .839 OPS
As a freshman, Beer took home the 2016 Dick Howser Trophy as the national college baseball player of the year -- the first freshman to do so after hitting .369 with 18 home runs, 13 doubles and 70 RBIs. Two years later, he was a late-first round pick by the Astros. In three years at Clemson, Beer totaled 56 home runs, 41 doubles, and drove in 177 runs while batting .321 in 188 games.
Beer spent 2024 in the Pirates' organization, playing in 99 games between Triple-A Indianapolis and Double-A Altoona. He is currently in the Phillies' organization at Double-A Reading in the Eastern League. In 30 games this season, he's hit .190 with three home runs and four doubles at Reading.
MLB draft 2019: Logan Davidson, shortstop
- Years at Clemson: 2017-19
- Drafted by: Oakland Athletics (29th overall)
- Years in MLB: 2025
- Career MLB stats: .150 AVG, zero home runs, one double, three RBIs, .461 OPS
- Career MILB stats: .258 AVG, 55 home runs, 108 doubles, 267 RBIs, .754 OPS
In three seasons with the Tigers, Davidson totaled 42 home runs and 45 doubles while batting .290 with a .403 on-base percentage. Davidson made his big league debut with the Athletics on May 24 and collected his first major league hit the following night in a 2-for-3 performance that included a double and two RBIs.
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This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: Every Clemson baseball player to be taken in MLB draft first round
Category: General Sports
