This statement or something very similar has been said since Blake Bryant committed to Clemson five years ago: Players who go to CCA don’t go to Clemson – and players who go to Clemson don’t go to CCA.
That statement is true – but maybe not for the reasons it was originally uttered. In fact, Blake Bryant isn’t going to Clemson. Instead, he’s going to Phoenix. The Arizona Diamondbacks selected him in the 1st round (31st pick overall) in the MLB Draft on Saturday afternoon.
For Bryant, it’s been a long, anxious – and rewarding – journey. There was plenty of buzz around Bryant all year long. But the interest (and scrutiny) intensified as the 2026 baseball season progressed. Each week, Bryant showed he was up to the task. He dominated this year, posting a perfect 10-0 record with a 0.22 ERA. He struck out 141 to 13 walks in 64 innings and posted nearly 20 strikeouts per nine innings.
And his velocity? He sat at 92-95 all year. His performance in game one of the state title game will become the stuff of legend, if it’s not already. Bryant threw 109 pitches in a complete game win. Pitches 106-108 were 96 mph. His final pitch? A swing and a miss for a game-ending strikeout that came in at 97 mph.
Most of the baseball gurus had Bryant as a #60-70 prospect. A few had him lower, some higher. But over the last few weeks, his stock has continued to rise and there were murmurings that he could easily go in the low to mid-2nd round. This week, there were mentions of a high 1st round pick.
Friday, Bryant’s agent had some good news – the Pittsburgh Pirates were planning on taking him as the 34th pick. Then things changed; Friday night, the Pirates traded two picks, including #34 to the Texas Rangers. And Texas didn’t have Bryant on their board. Despite a little interest from the Atlanta Braves at #26, Bryant’s best option looked like the New York Yankees at #35.
Enter the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Also on Friday, the Bryants began hearing that the Diamondbacks and St. Louis Cardinals had some interest. Earlier in the year, the Diamondbacks had been on Bryant but things had cooled off out of Phoenix.
On Saturday afternoon, the Diamondbacks struck – pun very much intended.
Arizona had the 31st overall pick, still a 1st-round slot. They wanted Bryant and he was happy to oblige. “I trusted my agents. They got the job done. They had a lot of trust in the Diamondbacks and I said, ‘Shoot, let’s do it.’ It was an offer I couldn’t turn down,” said Bryant.
“His mother and I thank the Lord. We give Him all the credit. Blake was blessed from birth for this game. People don’t see what he puts in behind the scenes, all the hard work and effort that he’s done. Today, he got rewarded for all that. We’re thankful for his coaches in the past – Brandon McMillan, Chad Fussell, Adam Vickers to Coach [Jeremy] Coram, Shane Monahan, Buddy Watkins, and many more who have been a part of this journey. We’re super excited that he’s getting to go to Arizona,” said his father, Joe Bryant.
Bryant has been to Arizona twice this year, most recently for the MLB Combine a couple of weeks ago. “We’ve been there. We know the routine. I guess that was God’s plan. He was preparing us for it,” said Joe.
The money allocated to the 31st overall pick is $3.1 million. But that’s not set in stone – Bryant’s agent will negotiate with Arizona and that figure could end up being much higher.
Bryant is the first Coffee Countian to be taken in the 1st round of a primary draft in any professional sport. In the 1986 MLB winter draft, the Milwaukee Brewers selected RHP Eddie Anderson with the 5th overall pick. The winter draft was primarily for high school players who graduated in the fall or junior college players. Anderson played the 1985 fall season at Georgia Perimeter College before the Brewers drafted him in January. That year was the final year Major League Baseball held multiple drafts.
“This has been an amazing year. Blake has been working toward this day for a long time and I’m so happy to see it end like this. Those of us who have been with him on a daily basis knew he was 1st round material. It’s exciting to see the Arizona Diamondbacks realize what we already knew. This may feel like the end but it’s far from that. Today is the beginning of a new chapter in Blake’s career and it’s going to be the best one yet,” said CCA head baseball coach Jeremy Coram.
Bryant will have about a week or so to process what happened today. Then he will be off to Arizona where he will begin his minor league career. Where he will end up and what will happen from there, remains to be seen. But this much is certain – with that kind of pick and that level of investment, Bryant is going to get a legitimate shot at the big leagues.
And if he shows the same determination, work ethic, and tenacity that he has demonstrated as a CCA Patriot, you will see him on the mound at Chase Field. It’s just a matter of when.
