​Ole Miss pitcher and Greenville High School alumnus Taylor Rabe was selected with the 30th overall pick by the Kansas City Royals in the first round of the MLB Draft on July 11. Rabe, a standout at Greenville High, earned multiple honors in 2023, including being named the South Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year and the South Carolina Baseball Coaches Association (SCBCA) Player of the Year.
During his sophomore season at Ole Miss, Rabe posted a 5-3 record with a 3.55 ERA and struck out 105 batters. He delivered a notable performance in the College World Series, starting against North Carolina and lasting 5⅔ innings, surrendering one earned run on two hits in a 6-2 loss.
Rabe’s journey to this milestone is marked by a significant comeback from a major injury. He is just two years removed from undergoing UCL reconstruction, more commonly known as Tommy John surgery, and he did not play in his freshman year at Ole Miss. This context underscores the remarkable progress he has made to reach the professional level.
Kamryn Jackson covers high school and college sports for the Spartanburg Herald-Journal, Greenville News, Anderson Independent Mail, and the USA TODAY Network. Readers can email her at KEJackson@gannett.com for story ideas, athlete of the week nominations, and statistics, and follow her on X @KamxJack (formerly Twitter).
This article originally appeared on Greenville News.