Former Gamecock pitcher receives first-ever MLB call-up

Former South Carolina pitcher TJ Shook’s contract was selected by the Colorado Rockies on Monday evening, according to MiLB Central on X (formerly Twitter). This is the 28-year-old’s first-ever MLB call-up.

It’s been a long journey for Shook, who was signed by the Milwaukee Brewers as an undrafted free agent in 2020 after three seasons with the Gamecocks. The Columbia native and Dutch Fork High School alum had a career 3.04 ERA in 74 innings pitched at South Carolina before landing a professional contract.

Shook spent four years in the Brewers organization, reaching Double-A Biloxi before being traded to the New York Mets at the 2024 MLB trade deadline. He spent a year and a half in the Mets organization between Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse.

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Shook was acquired by the Rockies in the Triple-A phase of the Rule 5 Draft in December. He was assigned to the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes and has had a stellar season, with a 2.86 ERA in 28.1 innings before getting the call.

The Rockies’ bullpen ERA ranks 27th out of 30 MLB teams, giving Shook the opportunity to carve out a role amidst the unit’s struggles.

Shook is now the sixth former Gamecock to be currently in The Show. He joins Carlos Cortes (Athletics), Carmen Mlodzinski (Pirates), Jordan Montgomery (Rangers), Clarke Schmidt (Yankees), and Christian Walker (Astros). Shook will also be just the second Gamecock to ever play for the Rockies, joining Jim Stoops, who appeared in three games in 1998.

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