By Blake Colston
Sports Writer
Yukon’s Braylen Wimmer is one step closer to becoming a Major League Baseball player.
The Colorado Rockies on Monday selected Wimmer in the eighth round (232nd overall) of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
Wimmer, who played four seasons at the University of South Carolina, was a major contributor for the Gamecocks the last three years.
This season, he took his play to another level and skyrocketed up draft boards. He started 56 games for the Gamecocks at shortstop and DH while hitting .304 with 64 runs scored, 11 doubles, and a career-best 14 home runs and 43 RBI’s. He also led South Carolina with 13 stolen bases in 14 attempts.
This is the second time a Major League team has selected Wimmer in the draft. He was picked in the 18th round by Philadelphia in 2022, but instead opted to play his senior season South Carolina. That turned out to be a good choice.
The slot value for the 232nd pick in this year’s draft is $209,400, meaning Wimmer could earn a signing bonus for that amount. However, because he’s out of college eligibility, he could ink with Colorado for a substantially lower figure.
During his senior year at YHS, Wimmer hit .410 with six home runs, 23 extra-base hits and 45 RBI while earning All-State and All-Conference honors.
Wimmer is the first Yukon alum to be picked since the Cleveland Indians drafted Garrett Benge in the 22nd round of the 2015 draft.
This year’s MLB Draft is a historic one, as a draft lottery was used to determine the order for the first time. The Washington Nationals, Pittsburgh Pirates and Oakland Athletics each had a 16.5% chance to receive the No. 1 overall pick. Ultimately, Pittsburgh won the right to have the first selection, with Washington finishing right behind them at No. 2. Oakland, however, fell all the way down to No. 6 overall.
