While most coaches on Arkansas’ campus have to fend off opposing coaches trying to raid their rosters via the transfer portal, Dave Van Horn has something else to worry about every year: the MLB Draft.
The three-day event begins with the first two rounds Sunday, starting at 6 p.m. CT. The draft continues at 1 p.m. Monday with Rounds 3-10 and concludes with the final 10 rounds at 1 p.m. Tuesday.
Hagen Smith, Peyton Stovall and several other current Razorbacks will hear their names called at Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth, Texas, not to mention the possibility of losing commitments or signees to the professional ranks.
When the dust settles, there will likely be double-digit players associated with Arkansas baseball among the 615 total selections.
Keeping it all straight can be difficult, so Best of Arkansas Sports will help you out by compiling our annual MLB Draft preview, with intel sprinkled throughout to complement all of the important information you need to know.
Biggest Looming 2024 MLB Draft Decisions
We’ll start with two current Arkansas baseball players who are probably most up in the air with their MLB Draft status…
OF Kendall Diggs
Heading into the 2024 season, the only question surrounding Kendall Diggs’ draft stock was how high he’d be selected. There was no thought of him potentially returning for his senior season. He was a preseason All-SEC selection coming off a breakout sophomore year in which he hit .299 with 12 home runs and a team-high 63 RBIs.
That all changed a few weeks into the season when Diggs hurt his shoulder diving into second base. The injury lingered throughout the 2024 campaign and his play suffered as a result. His batting average dropped all the way down to .229 and he was even worse in SEC play, hitting just .189.
Even with the rough season, Diggs still figured to be a draft prospect because of what he showed in 2023 and the struggles could be blamed on the injury. However, it was eventually revealed that he needed surgery because his labrum was completely torn. That is something that could scare pro teams away and lead to him returning as a senior.
It’s rare for players with legitimate pro aspirations to play their senior year because it eliminates their leverage in contract negotiations after getting drafted. The threat of a player going back to school forces teams to make better offers. Without that, the franchises can give significantly lower signing bonuses, even if the player is coming off a big year.
There are several factors at play with Diggs’ decision. If he comes back to school, he’d likely be sacrificing a decent amount of money, but the surgery might lower his potential signing bonus to the point where he could make up the difference in NIL.
One source told BoAS that Diggs made somewhere in the $125,000 range this season, but that was as a preseason All-SEC player. Coming off a bad year and surgery, that could drop — or it could increase as an incentive for him to come back. It’s hard to know one way or the other.
Another thing to consider is that Diggs participated in the MLB Draft Combine. Players who attended the combine and participated in the medical portion of the event are guaranteed to receive a signing bonus of at least 75% of the slot value. It’s unknown if he did that, but Dave Van Horn publicly discussing Diggs’ torn labrum shortly after the combine seems to indicate he did because medical stuff like that is typically kept under wraps — unless it’s already known by all 30 teams. That would mean Diggs is guaranteed a signing bonus of at least $134,100 if he’s taken in the top 10 rounds. (The last 10 rounds don’t have slot values.)
The injury makes projecting what happens with Diggs incredibly difficult. As a National League scout told us, “Anytime medical comes into play, things can get tricky.”
RHP Jake Faherty
The situation for Jake Faherty isn’t directly related to an injury, but an injury is what makes his return to Arkansas possible. Let us explain…
After making one appearance in each of his first two seasons with the Razorbacks, which totaled only one total inning, the right-hander was a solid bullpen arm in 2024. He threw 14 2/3 innings across 16 appearances and posted a 1.84 ERA and 1.16 WHIP with 26 strikeouts and only nine walks. Opponents hit just .151 against him and he had one massive save:
Those are great numbers, albeit in a small sample size. What has scouts intrigued is Faherty’s stuff. If he can consistently control it, like he finally showed signs of this season, he’s incredibly tough to hit. That potential is why Dave Van Horn believes someone will take a chance on him in the draft.
At the same time, this is a pitcher with only 15 2/3 career innings in college. He came to Arkansas extremely raw, but has improved each year. If he improved a little bit more and put together another big season in Fayetteville, but was able to consistently work multiple innings or pitch a couple of times in a weekend, he could see his value increase drastically.
What you run into is the leverage situation. Faherty was listed as a junior this season, which would seemingly make him a senior in 2025, giving him no leverage in next summer’s draft.
However, Best of Arkansas Sports has learned he is eligible to receive a medical redshirt for the 2023 season, when he left his lone appearance with an injury. That would make him a redshirt junior next year, ensuring he still had some negotiating power in the 2025 MLB Draft — similar to Isaiah Campbell in 2019.
It’s also worth noting that Faherty is pitching in the Cape Cod League again this summer. That’s not what draft hopefuls typically do, especially from a school like Arkansas, but at the same time, it could be one last chance for him to show scouts what he can do ahead of the draft.
Another thing that’s a bit peculiar about Faherty is he’s not really mentioned on any MLB Draft prospect lists. He’s not included in Baseball America’s final top 500 or Perfect Game’s top 500 from mid-June, and is way down at No. 592 on Future Stars Series’ list.
His stuff is good enough to get drafted with a decent signing bonus, but if he’s truly as unknown as those lists seem to indicate, perhaps he would try to elevate his draft stock with another year at Arkansas. But don’t bet on it, a National League scout said.
“He’s going to get drafted,” the scout told BoAS. “He’s going to be a big leaguer.”
2024 MLB Draft Prospect Rankings
The prospect rankings listed below come from the following lists:
- The Athletic (Keith Law) – top 100
- Prep Baseball Report – top 150
- ESPN (Kiley McDaniel) – top 250
- MLB Pipeline – top 250
- Baseball America – top 500
- Future Stars Series (Joe Doyle) – top 615
Virtual Locks to be Picked
When it comes to the MLB Draft, so most players sign professionally as juniors in order to maximize their signing bonus. Even though a couple of these guys could theoretically have better statistical seasons in 2025, they’d make significantly less money in next year’s draft because they wouldn’t have any negotiating power.
The only draft-eligible players we aren’t listing here are right-handers Dylan Carter and Will McEntire, because they’ve already announced their intention to return to school, and infielder Reese Robinett, who is a draft-eligible sophomore, but redshirted this past season.
- LHP Hagen Smith
- MLB Pipeline: No. 5 | BA: No. 6 | The Athletic: No. 6 | PBR: No. 6 | FSS: No. 7 | ESPN: No. 8
- 2B Peyton Stovall
- The Athletic: No. 34 | FSS: No. 76 | MLB Pipeline: No. 77 | ESPN: No. 84 | BA: No. 123 | PBR: No. 130
- RHP Brady Tygart
- BA: No. 175 | MLB Pipeline: No. 181 | ESPN: No. 182 | FSS: No. 229
- LHP Mason Molina
- BA: No. 147 | ESPN: No. 208 | MLB Pipeline: No. 225 | FSS: No. 288
- C Hudson White
- BA: No. 318 | FSS: No. 361
Arkansas Baseball Seniors
Ten Arkansas baseball players exhausted their eligibility in 2024 and are trying to continue their careers in the professional ranks.
Only one of them appears on any of the MLB Draft prospect lists mentioned above and that’s Jared Sprague-Lott, who checks in at No. 434 in Future Stars Series’ ranking. However, Stone Hewlett, Peyton Holt and Ben McLaughlin also had success with the Razorbacks and could conceivably be drafted.
It would not be surprising to see one of those four players taken in the Rounds 8-10 range as a money-saving pick. Because they don’t have any leverage, a team could draft and sign them for well under slot to save their bonus pool for earlier picks that might require an over-slot signing bonus.
Last year, Jared Wegner signed for $72,500 when the slot value for his pick number was $173,100. Back in 2018, Carson Shaddy got a $10,000 signing bonus when the slot value was $136,900.
Best Chance
- LHP Stone Hewlett
- UT Peyton Holt
- 1B Ben McLaughlin
- 3B Jared Sprague-Lott
Others
- RHP Koty Frank
- OF Ross Lovich
- C Hudson Polk
- C Parker Rowland
- UT Jack Wagner
- OF Ty Wilmsmeyer
Signees/Commits to Watch in 2024 MLB Draft
Transfer Portal
- OF Logan Maxwell — TCU
- OF Rocco Peppi — Fresno State
- OF Carson Boles — Lincoln Memorial (DII)
Of the 12 players Arkansas baseball is bringing in via the transfer portal, only three of them are eligible for the 2024 MLB Draft and none of them are viewed as major prospects.
Rocco Peppi is listed as the No. 515 overall prospect on Future Stars Series and Logan Maxwell told BoAS that he’s heard from some scouts that he could be selected, but Carson Boles is a Division II transfer who probably needs to prove he can produce in the SEC before getting picked.
JUCO Transfers
- INF Brent Iredale — New Mexico J.C.
- FSS: No. 444 | BA: No. 464 | PBR JUCO: No. 2
- OF Justin Thomas — Florida SouthWestern State C.C.
- FSS: No. 289 | PBR JUCO: No. 6
The Razorbacks have also landed six players from the JUCO ranks, all of whom are draft eligible. However, two of them are generating the most buzz.
For a more comprehensive breakdown of Arkansas’ JUCO haul and their draft status, click here.
High School Signees
- INF Gabe Fraser — Westminster (Calif.) Orange Lutheran HS
- FSS: No. 496
- LHP Cole Gibler — Blue Springs (Mo.) HS
- MLB Pipeline: No. 128 | ESPN: No. 131 | PBR: No. 131 | BA: No. 140
- INF Tyson Lewis — Omaha (Neb.) Millard West HS
- FSS: No. 27 | PBR: No. 29 | The Athletic: No. 33 | MLB Pipeline: No. 39 | BA: No. 43 | ESPN: No. 51
- OF Eli Lovich — Overland Park (Kan.) Blue Valley West HS
- FSS: No. 206 | BA: No. 474
- RHP Carson Wiggins — Roland (Okla.) HS
- The Athletic: No. 55 | BA: No. 78 | MLB Pipeline: No. 79 | FSS: No. 121 | ESPN: No. 159
Arkansas’ 19 high school signees/commits are also draft eligible, but the five listed above are generating the most buzz – highlighted by shortstop Tyson Lewis as a potential late first-round pick.
Right-hander Carson Wiggins and left-hander Cole Gibler have been talked about as possible picks within the first three rounds, while shortstop Gabe Fraser and outfielder Eli Lovich are in that next tier.
For a more comprehensive breakdown of Arkansas’ high school class and their draft status, including an exclusive conversation with Gibler, click here.
How to Assess Arkansas Baseball in the 2024 MLB Draft
When it comes to grading how the Razorbacks come out of the 2024 MLB Draft, it’s important to remember that it’s highly unlikely that any of the “virtual locks” listed above return for their senior season.
In addition to those five players, Best of Arkansas Sports believes Jake Faherty will get drafted and sign professionally, as will high school signees Tyson Lewis and Carson Wiggins, plus JUCO signees Brent Iredale and Justin Thomas.
Perhaps one of the JUCO guys makes it through the draft, but even if all 10 of those players sign, it should be considered a very successful MLB Draft for the Razorbacks.
However, for every player they lose from the group of Kendall Diggs, Logan Maxwell, Rocco Peppi, Eli Lovich and Gabe Fraser – plus any other JUCO/high school signee – things get much less successful for the Arkansas baseball program.
Other Players to Watch in the 2024 MLB Draft
These players aren’t current or future Razorbacks, but are still notable for Arkansas baseball fans or folks from Arkansas…
- RHP Jesse Barker – Central Arkansas
- Arkansas native (Benton HS)… Spent five seasons at UCA… Two-time All-ASUN, 2024 ASUN Pitcher of the Year… Posted 3.40 ERA and 1.02 WHIP with 119 strikeouts in 108 2/3 innings in 2024
- DH/RHP Ethan Bates – Louisiana Tech
- Arkansas native (HS Lakeside HS)… Played at Arkansas in 2021, but went JUCO route and ended up at Louisiana Tech… 2024 CUSA Player of the Year
- Source tells BoAS that Bates will be drafted as either a hitter or a pitcher, not a two-way player
- 3B Nico Baumbach – Little Rock
- Two-time first-team All-OVC with the Trojans… Slashed .343/.400/.556 with 8 HR and 52 RBIs in 2024
- RHP Hoss Brewer – Little Rock
- First-team All-OVC with the Trojans… Posted 3.95 ERA with 101 strikeouts in 84 1/3 innings in 2024
- INF Michael Brooks – Kansas
- Signed with Arkansas, but transferred to UCF after first fall semester… Ended up at Kansas, where he slashed .331/.425/.612 in 139 ABs in 2024
- OF Slade Caldwell – Valley View HS
- Arkansas native (Valley View HS)… Could be the first Arkansas high schooler taken in the first round since Dustin Moseley in 2000… Signed with Ole Miss
- OF Clayton Gray – Austin Peay
- Arkansas native (Cabot HS)… Signed with Arkansas, but transferred to Crowder C.C. after first fall semester… Two-time All-ASUN selection at Austin Peay
- RHP Jacob Weatherly – Little Rock
- Arkansas native (Jonesboro HS)… 2024 ASUN Pitcher of the Year… Went 6-3 with 9 saves in 24 relief appearances, posted 2.92 ERA with 77 strikeouts in 61 2/3 innings in 2024
***
***
More coverage of Arkansas baseball and the 2024 MLB Draft from BoAS…
