Grice compared to MLB two-way star
By: abigail-angalet June 1, 2023

What a difference a year can make for Clemson’s Caden Grice. Following what was a challenging sophomore season for the Tiger standout, Grice has since pieced together a stellar junior campaign for the Tigers, most recently being named a finalist for the John Olerud Award on Tuesday and garnering quite the MLB comparison in the process.

During the ACC Championship broadcast over the weekend, ACC Network analyst and former MLB pitcher Danny Graves compared Grice to MLB two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani who has put together an impressive season of his own for the Angels.

“He’s the Shohei Ohtani of college baseball,” Graves said following the Tigers’ ACC Championship win over Miami on Sunday.

Ohtani, who is in his fifth major league season with the Angels, has recorded a 5-1 record, 90 strikeouts and a 2.91 ERA while allowing just 34 hits, 22 runs and eight homers in 11 starts. Along with his dominance on the mound, Ohtani is hitting .269 with 15 homers and 38 RBIs in 55 game appearances in 2023.

With his 90 strikeouts on the mound, Ohtani is currently third in the majors in strikeouts, sitting behind former Clemson righthander and current Atlanta Brave Spencer Strider (106 strikeouts) and Pittsburgh Pirates righty Mitch Keller (93 strikeouts). Ohtani, meanwhile, is sixth in home runs this season.

After focusing his talents on hitting and playing first base last in 2022, Grice transitioned back to both pitching and hitting for the Tigers in 2023 and hasn’t looked back since. The Palmetto State native has since become a consistent weekend starter in Clemson’s pitching rotation and has come in clutch both at the plate and on the mound when his team needed it most.

Through 56 game appearances, 13 starts on the mound and now an ACC Championship win, Grice has pitched his way to an 8-1 record and a whopping 91 strikeouts while hitting .302 with a team-leading 63 RBIs and 16 home runs.

Dear Old Clemson has some fantastic collectibles from some of Clemson’s current and former baseball stars. Now there is a new way you can support Clemson student-athletes. Purchase collectibles from Dear Old Clemson and the proceeds with go to support Clemson student-athletes.