Clemson prospects set to compete in MLB draft combine

Clemson top outfielder addition Ryan Wideman is a fringe Day 1 MLB draft prospect.

Brandon Rink · Assoc. Editor / Staff Writer · Tuesday, June 17 2025

Clemson has some interest again in the MLB draft combine, which starts Tuesday at noon EDT in Phoenix.

According to Baseball America, Cam Cannarella, new standout transfer addition Ryan Wideman, and signees in shortstop Dax Kilby and left-handed pitcher Nick Frusco will be in attendance.

Cannarella and Kilby have had Day 1 MLB draft projections and MLB.com's latest has Cannarella going No. 38 overall to the New York Mets.

MLB.com has Cannarella leading a trio in the prospect rankings (39), then Kilby (79) and Wideman (155). Frusco is unranked there

Both Cannarella and Wideman earned All-American honors this past season, with the Clemson legacy Wideman recently committing as a transfer portal addition from Western Kentucky.

MLB.com snapshot on them: Kilby - "One of the more polished high school bats available, Kilby has a track record of producing against quality competition on the showcase circuit. There are questions about his long-term defensive home, but his hitting ability could land him as high as the second round if he's signable away from a Clemson commitment."

Cannarella - "Cannarella possesses some of the best bat-to-ball skills in the Draft, making line-drive contact to all fields from the left side of the plate, and it's almost impossible to get a fastball or slider by him. He does venture out of the strike zone too often and gets himself out on suboptimal groundball contact more than he should. He has some bat speed but lacks physicality, so there's some question if he'll have more than modest pull power and max out at 12-15 homers per season."

Wideman - "One of the toolsiest and more physical college players in the Draft, Wideman is a 6-foot-5, 204-pounder with plus raw power and plus-plus speed. His reads and routes could use some polish in center field, but his quickness still allows him to chase down balls from gap to gap. He has average arm strength and is capable of playing all three outfield spots.

"All that said, there's concern about Wideman's ability to handle pro pitching because his chase rates and ground-ball percentage rank among the worst in D-I. He doesn't strike out excessively, but he struggles against velocity, rarely walks and makes a lot of suboptimal contact. A right-handed hitter with a big leg kick, he does a nice job of using the middle of the field but will have to get much more selective at the next level."

Last year's MLB draft combine participant list featured two drafted Tigers from the 2024 team in OF Will Taylor and RHP Austin Gordon, and one drafted signee out of three billed attendees with 3B Chase Harlan going pro but LHP Talan Bell and RHP Dane Moehler making it to campus.

MLB.com describes the event: "As part of the Combine experience, attendees will benefit from the opportunity to interview and interact directly with Major League Club general managers and scouting directors, as well as an enhanced medical evaluation process. Participants at the MLB Draft Combine will also have opportunities to be featured on MLB and USA Baseball social media channels, in addition to receiving personal branding training and access to real-time content and custom video for their own platforms."

MLB Network coverage begins at noon.

The MLB draft will take place on July 13-14 during All-Star Week in Atlanta, with the opening night of the Draft featuring a total of 105 picks. Drafted players had until the end of July last year to sign with an MLB team or stay in college.