USC Upstate's Alex Garbrick Picked by Phillies in MLB Draft
USC Upstate right-handed pitcher Alex Garbrick was selected 505th overall in the 17th round of the 2021 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday afternoon.
The Mill Hall, Pa. native is the 20
th draft pick in program history, and Upstate’s second pick in this year’s draft after Jordan Marks was selected yesterday in the eighth round by the Detroit Tigers. Garbrick is the first Spartan to ever be drafted by the Phillies, and this is just the fifth time the program has had two or more draft picks in a single year.
Garbrick is the 12
th draft pick under Mike McGuire as a head coach, and the second for Coach McGuire since he and his staff took over the Spartan program ahead of the 2020 season.
In one season with the Spartans, Garbrick went 7-3 in 14 starts. His 3.39 ERA ranked fourth in the Big South Conference, and he held opposing hitters to just a .240 average. He tallied 74 strikeouts in 66.1 innings pitched, and allowed a league-low 25 earned runs on the year.
A key part of Upstate’s weekend rotation, Garbrick was named to the Big South’s All-Conference Second-Team for his 2021 campaign.
The 2021 MLB Draft concludes Tuesday afternoon with the 20
th round.