By PAT YASINSKAS
Long before the University of South Florida had a football team, it started another big-time men’s sports program.
That came in 1966, 21 years before the Bulls took to the football field. We’re talking baseball, a sport in which USF has had success since the 1970s.
With men like Baseball Hall of Famer Robin Roberts, Eddie Cardieri and Lelo Prado coaching, the Bulls have won a lot of games and made it to the NCAA Regionals 13 times, including back-to-back trips in 2017 and 2018.
The program has generated 20 major-league players, including Dave Eiland, Derek Lee and Tim Hulett. But there is one thing USF’s baseball program has never produced – until now.
That’s a representative in the Major League All-Star game. That will change Tuesday night when Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Shane McClanahan participates in the annual Mid-Summer Classic at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
This afternoon, McClanahan was chosen as the Starting PItcher for the American League after a dominant first half of the season. That is a coup for the 25-year-old left-hander, who is in just his second major league season.
When told he was the first USF player selected to an All-Star game, McClanahan was shocked to learn he’s a trailblazer.
“That’s kind of surprising,’’ McClanahan said. “I know there have been a lot of great players there, a lot of high draft picks. That surprised me, but there are going to be a lot more.’’
Things have worked out nicely for McClanahan, but there was a time during his USF days when it seemed like a major league career would never happen. After choosing USF’s offer over being drafted No. 26 overall by the New York Mets out of Cape Coral High, McClanahan injured his arm.
He had Tommy John surgery during his freshman year and joined the Bulls for his redshirt freshman and sophomore years. But the big leagues came calling again in 2018.
When the Rays selected McClanahan with the 31st overall pick, the Florida kid decided to stay close to home and things have worked out perfectly for McClanahan and the Rays.
And there’s no doubt that McClanahan’s time at USF has played a role in his success. After scouts saw their radar guns registering triple digits, they began sending glowing reports to the front offices of their clubs.
McClanahan climbed three levels in the Tampa Bay farm system in his first year as a professional. With Covid-19 causing issues throughout the sports world in 2020, McClanahan spent much of that year working out at the Rays’ alternative site. But McClanahan was so impressive that he was called up by the Rays prior to their Wild-Card series with Toronto.
McClanahan was excellent with the Rays last season. He went 10-6 with 3.43 ERA. He also struck out 141 batters in 123 1/3 innings.
Take a look at that number of strikeouts again because it is a very telling example of how McClanahan has gone from being a very good pitcher to being an elite one this year.
In essentially what amounts to half a season, McClanahan has six more strikeouts than he did all of last season. He has pitched 110 2/3 innings and is among the league leaders in virtually every pitching category.
McClanahan also looks like he could shatter his win total from last year. He already is 10-3 with a 1.71 ERA.
And let’s not forget that McClanahan is one of the biggest reasons the Rays are in contention for a spot in the postseason.
“I have not witnessed a pitcher have a stronger first half,’’ Rays manager Kevin Cash said.
