A Debut One Year In The Making

After missing his freshman season recovering from Tommy John surgery, Carter Raffield is finally set to take the mound for the first time in a Clemson uniform

Photo by Clemson Athletic Communications Brian Hennessy

For the casual fans of the Clemson baseball program, Carter Raffield might be a name many aren't that familiar with. For the fans who follow the program more closely, they know exactly who he is, and the potential for greatness he has on the mound. 

Expected to make an instant impact for the Tigers last season, the 6' 4" 220 pound right-handed pitcher from Georgia suffered an elbow injury prior to the start of the season. The injury required Tommy John surgery and Raffield was suddenly sidelined for the season.

As Opening Day approaches on February 14th, Raffield is back, and now ready to make his mark on the program. Coming off of that type of injury however, head coach Monte Lee knows they have to be extremely cautious with how he's used early on. 

"Well Carter didn’t face but a handful of hitters his senior year of high school," Lee said. "So he’s been dealing with this for quite some time. So we’ve got to understand that early on, we got to be patient. We got to give him the ball, let him go out there and do his thing."

On the mound, Raffield is an imposing figure. Throughout the fall there has been one word that has been frequently used by coaches and teammates to describe him, and that word is "dominant."

"Carter has been dominant'" Lee said. "I mean we don’t stand a chance against Carter in live pins. He has just absolutely chewed our hitters up."

His teammates echo that sentiment. "It’s just if you ask our hitters right now who’s the hardest guy to hit," Lee said. "And that’s what I ask them ... Raffield. I can’t hit Raffield. I mean our guys are like, that stuff’s dominant. It’s moving all over the place. It's just a very uncomfortable at bat with Carter."

Raffield is the type of power arm that the Clemson program has not seen a lot of in its starting rotation in recent years. He can hit the mid 90s with his fastball, and has two to three more pitches in his repertoire that he has command of, making him an ideal candidate for a spot in the starting rotation at some point. 

"He’s 94, 95 with power sink," Lee said. "I mean it is a heavy, heavy fastball. He has command of a curve ball. He throws both. He throws a curveball and a slider. I think he’s throwing more of a curve ball right now. And he’s got a split and a change-up. And they’re all above-average pitches."

Unfortunately, Raffield was not the only pitcher the Tigers lost to a season ending elbow injury last year. RHP Spencer Strider also suffered a similar injury that required the same Tommy John procedure, and both spent their time rehabbing together, and Lee was especially pleased with how they handled the tough situation.

"A lot of times when you’re on a rehab, you’re by yourself to a degree," Lee said. You have to be really disciplined. Those guys are coming out doing their throwing program a lot of times before we stretch as a team. And then they’re going to the weight room together. And I’m just really proud of those two guys, just how hard they work at being disciplined, being consistent with their throwing program, and getting to the point that they’re at right now."

This team is coming off of a disappointing 2019 season that saw them really struggle down the stretch. One of the biggest things that hurt them was the lack of pitching depth. 

Heading into the 2020 season, it seems that issue has been fixed, and on paper this looks to be a fairly deep staff. However, that still has to translate into production on the field, and if the Tigers are to take that next step and get out of the regional round for the first time since 2010, Carter Raffield will likely play a big part in getting them there.