Rockmart National champ pitcher picked 38th by Cincinnati Reds during Major League Baseball’s draft
Rockmart’s pitching phenom made a name for himself in the College World Series last month when the Tigers won the championship, and now he gets a shot to get to the big show in the coming years.
The Cincinnati Reds took Ty Floyd on Sunday night with the 38th pick in the first round of the Major League Baseball draft. It’s Floyd’s second time being drafted – out of high school he was picked in the sixth round – but now that the LSU Junior has shown he has the stuff of legends he’s now a hot commodity.
He was with his family and friends on Sunday evening during the draft selection here at home in Rockmart and got to celebrate with loved ones the good news. His mom posted the above video on Twitter and Facebook on Sunday after the announcement.
Floyd previously had the chance to be drafted after his high school graduation in 2020 – his senior season cut short, but on track after several years of being a top pitcher in the state – but chose to keep his commitment to Louisiana State University he made and said he’d be available in 2023.
His timing was absolutely perfect for Rockmart’s newest hometown hero heading to the bigs. After putting up a record-matching performance in the College World Series’ first game of the finals with 17 strikeouts an earning a win for the Tigers, he made his mark on history by tying only one other pitcher in history with that level of pitching performance.
Floyd also put up a 10-strikeout performance against Wake Forest during the tournament in an outing on the mound, eight of those in a row against Demon Deacon batters. Floyd would take a loss in that outing, but LSU battled back against all comers to take a national title in Omaha, Nebraska to close out his 2023 season.
His final line on the year were seven wins on a 4.35 ERA putting up 120 strikeouts, 37 walks, 70 hits, 50 runs on 44 errors over 91 innings of work during the 2023 season.
Floyd put up an impressive college career over his three years as a Tiger: 12-6 overall in his starts earning a 4.17 ERA across 55 games and 175 innings. He put up 229 strikeouts, 74 walks, 130 hits and 90 runs with 81 errors records on his record.
His best game was in the College World Series’ finals, with the 17 strikeout performance against Florida in Game 1. He gave up one walk, five hits, three runs and recorded three errors in the Tigers 4-3 win over the Gators.
Floyd does have some experience during summer ball with the Bristol State Liners of the Appalachian League as well. Heading into the summer as well, Floyd will graduate with not just having earned a national title, but All Academic honors with the Southeastern Conference.
The Cincinnati Reds organization are picking up a big talent in Floyd, who puts up 90+ mph fastballs against batters unprepared for his speed and a slider that is deadly on the swinging strikeout. The consistency and command is where Floyd will need development in his coming pro career, with the opportunities to come fast in the Minors (and likely) the Majors as the Reds seek pitching support in the future.
Depending on where Floyd ends up in the Minor League organization for development before he makes it to the mound in the big leagues, local fans might get a chance to see him or not.
The Reds own a rookie league team in Arizona, plus the Daytona Tortugas, the Dayton Dragons, the Chattanooga Lookouts and the Louisville Bats.
Chattanooga would be the closest spot he could end up if pushed up to Double A after being drafted (a possibility since he has both college and summer ball experience already in the Appalachian League,) but home games are the only times that’ll be convenient to watch the Lookouts, who play in the Southern League against Tennessee, Rocket City, Birmingham, the Mississippi Braves, Montgomery, Pensacola and Biloxi.
Dayton in the Midwest League has teams stretching from Ohio to Iowa and many spots in between, and Daytona are all focused on the Florida State league with a variety of minor league spots around the state’s metro complexes (including a Tampa minor league team that is owned by the Yankees.)
The Louisville Bats do play in the International League (in the western division) and do get down to Gwinnett County to play the Braves affiliate there, but are spread across the country from New York to Nebraska.
He was the second to last pick of the first round, and the second pitcher the Reds picked up in the draft so far. LSU teammate and pitcher Paul Skenes went first in the draft to the Pittsburgh Pirates, then Dylan Crews went second to the Washington Nationals.
