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Clemson baseball’s Will Taylor picked by Pittsburgh Pirates in Round 5 of 2024 MLB Draft

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Clemson baseball’s Will Taylor picked by Pittsburgh Pirates in Round 5 of 2024 MLB Draft


CLEMSON — Outfielder Will Taylor from Clemson baseball was selected 145th overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the fifth round of the 2024 MLB draft on Monday.

Taylor gave up football to play baseball full-time at Clemson. The 145th pick has a slot value of $471,400.

Here’s what Taylor brings to Pittsburgh, based on our own observations from his tenure at Clemson:

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What Will Taylor brings to Pittsburgh Pirates in 2024 MLB Draft

The 5-foot-11, 185-pound Taylor could have been taken in the MLB draft out of Dutch Fork High School in Irmo, South Carolina, in 2021 but chose to be a two-sport athlete at Clemson. Taylor is a tough, strong athlete, who had his best season in 2023. He hit .362 with 23 extra-base hits (including five home runs), 46 RBIs and 11 stolen bases, winning the team’s most improved player award.

Taylor also has strong discipline at the plate, recording 48 walks in 2023 to lead Clemson and 33 the following year. However, he has injury concerns. He tore a ligament in his right knee as a freshman while playing football that led to two surgeries.

MORE: Where Clemson baseball finished in the USA TODAY Top 25 after NCAA super regional run

The South Carolina native broke his left wrist this April too, which limited him to a .230 batting average over 32 games in 2024. MLB.com says he still carries power as a right-handed hitter, but his burst and explosiveness on the base paths and outfield has reduced. Yet, he improved his speed stock at the MLB combine when he ran 3.609 in the 30-yard dash to record the fifth fastest time at the event.

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Will Taylor’s stats at Clemson baseball

Over 368 at-bats in 107 games, Taylor recorded:

  • .313 batting average
  • 13 home runs
  • 69 RBIs
  • 18 stole bases

Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at dcarter@gannett.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00



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Pittsburg, PA

Pittsburgh Steelers veteran linebacker suffers unexpected knee injury

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Pittsburgh Steelers veteran linebacker suffers unexpected knee injury


PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers veteran linebacker Tyler Matakevich suffered a knee injury against the Baltimore Ravens and would have missed practice on Sunday, the team estimated on their Sunday injury report.

Matakevich missed multiple games with a hamstring injury earlier this season but has returned and become a core part of the special teams room. If he can not play, the Steelers have inside linebacker Devin Harper on the practice squad, or they could turn to someone else, like Jonathan Ward, to encapsulate what Matakevich does on special teams.

Matakevich plays on all units, including both coverage teams. The Steelers re-signed him this offseason from the Buffalo Bills to help bolster their special teams units with the new NFL kickoff rules. He has four tackles in nine games for the team on those units.

With just four days until the Steelers face the Kansas City Chiefs, any new injuries will have a tough time healing before that game, and it seems likely that those players will have to sit or play through the injury on short rest.

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Texans Release Former Steelers WR

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Texans Release Former Steelers WR


Former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Steven Sims is searching for a new NFL home after the Houston Texans cut ties with the 27-year-old WR and kick returner. The Texans announced the move following the elevation of another receiver to their 53-man roster for their Week 16 matchup.

This was the former Steelers receiver’s second season in Houston. In seven games as the team’s returner, he returned seven kick-offs for 195 yards but failed to find the end zone. He wasn’t factoring into then offense at all, with just one carry and three receptions through his seven weeks of action.

The Steelers are quite familiar with Sims. During the 2022 season, he became the team’s primary kick and punt returner. He also became a fixture in the offense as a slot receiver. As a receiver, he hauled in 14 receptions on 23 targets for 104 yards and zero touchdowns. He also added on 13 rushing attempts for 70 yards.

He was much more productive in the return game. The speedy receiver fielded 19 punts over 12 games with the Steelers, collecting 105 yards. On kick-offs, he had 17 attempts for 434 yards, including a season-long of 89 yards.

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In his career, Sims has made a name for himself on special teams. He broke into the league with the Washington Commanders and had a sensational rookie season in 2019 as a returner. That year he had 32 return attempts and collected 819 yards, including a 91-yard return for the sole return touchdown of his five-year career.

Sims went undrafted in the NFL following his collegiate career at Kansas. With the Jayhawks, he hauled in at least 50 catches in three straight seasons. His career best came as a sophomore, when he racked up 859 yards and seven touchdowns over 12 games.

It’s been a tough week for former Steelers receivers. Sims joins former star receiver Diontae Johnson in the free agent market. Johnson had recently been acquired by the rival Baltimore Ravens but lasted just a few weeks before being released.

Make sure to bookmark Steelers On SI to get all your daily Pittsburgh Steelers news, interviews, breakdowns and more!



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Icy roads, snow across Pittsburgh area leads to several crashes

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Icy roads, snow across Pittsburgh area leads to several crashes


Icy roads, snow across Pittsburgh area leads to several crashes – CBS Pittsburgh

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Snow across the Pittsburgh area on Saturday morning made a mess of the roads. KDKA-TV’s Ricky Sayer was out tracking some crashes and shares some close calls.

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