The 2024 MLB Draft is officially in the books and Dave Van Horn has to feel pretty good about how his Arkansas baseball program came out of it.
Eight current Razorbacks and two signees were among the 615 players taken in the three-day, 20-round event in Dallas, but the biggest story was who didn’t get picked.
Our biggest takeaways from the MLB Draft are below, but first, a refresher on where Arkansas baseball players and signees were picked…
Arkansas Baseball Players, Signees in 2024 MLB Draft
| Round | Pick | Name | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Hagen Smith | Chicago White Sox |
| 2 | 51 | Tyson Lewis (signee) | Cincinnati Reds |
| 4 | 117 | Peyton Stovall | Cincinnati Reds |
| 7 | 215 | Mason Molina | Milwaukee Brewers |
| 9 | 256 | Jared Sprague-Lott | Oakland Athletics |
| 9 | 267 | Hudson White | Boston Red Sox |
| 9 | 284 | Ben McLaughlin | Arizona Diamondbacks |
| 11 | 332 | Eli Lovich (signee) | Chicago Cubs |
| 11 | 334 | Jake Faherty | Miami Marlins |
| 12 | 357 | Brady Tygart | Boston Red Sox |
1. Carson Wiggins Highlights Undrafted High School Signees
The Razorbacks saw a pair of high school signees drafted in Tyson Lewis (2nd round) and Eli Lovich (11th round) and likely won’t ever see them suit up at Baum-Walker Stadium.
Lewis was widely projected to be a high pick and could receive a signing bonus of more than $2 million. Also, less than 1% of the players taken in the top 10 rounds the last three years failed to sign.
Lovich was one of the first players off the board on Day 3, indicating the Cubs think they might be able to save some of their bonus pool from the top 10 rounds and give him more than the $150,000 allowed to players taken in the 11th round and later. It’s not particularly surprising because with as many outfielders as Arkansas is bringing in via the transfer portal, early playing time would be virtually impossible to come by.
For the first time in a while, though, the biggest story surrounding Arkansas’ recruiting class and the MLB Draft was about who will make it to campus rather than those who won’t.
The headliner is right-hander Carson Wiggins. Checking in as the No. 56 overall recruit in the Class of 2024 on Perfect Game, he is the Razorbacks’ second-highest rated signee (behind only Lewis).
Armed with a fastball that has been clocked as high as 99 mph, the 6-foot-5 right-hander out of Roland, Okla., is yet another flashy piece for pitching coach Matt Hobbs to deploy in 2024. In fact, one source told Best of Arkansas Sports that he’s further along in his development at this point in his career than his older brother, Jaxon, who was at Arkansas from 2021-23.
From a pure talent standpoint, Wiggins definitely would have been drafted, but teams apparently weren’t willing to meet his asking price and passed on him. Something else that might have helped get him to campus is the fact that he turned 19 in June. That means he’ll be a draft-eligible sophomore in 2026.
It’s hard to see Wiggins cracking the starting rotation with guys like Gabe Gaeckle, Gage Wood, Landon Beidelschies, Zach Root, Aiden Jimenez, Ben Bybee, Hunter Dietz, Colin Fisher and Tate McGuire also in the mix, but he could absolutely carve out a role in the bullpen.
Left-hander Cole Gibler is another signee who figured to be a draft risk but went undrafted. While Wiggins has big velocity, Gibler is more of a command guy, which is the kind of pitcher who has a great chance to contribute as a freshman, too.
Another freshman we were monitoring was Gabe Fraser, a top-150 recruit and heralded infielder from Los Angeles. He announced Monday night, after not being picked in the first 10 rounds, that he’d come to school. Playing time will be tough to come by, but he could develop into a good player if he sticks around and develops.
2. Another Year of Kendall Diggs with Arkansas Baseball
Coming off a breakout sophomore year, Kendall Diggs was a preseason All-SEC selection who figured to be one of Arkansas’ top picks in the 2024 MLB Draft. It was virtually inconceivable that he might be back as a senior.
Even as Diggs struggled through most of the season, it still seemed like he had done enough to get drafted because those issues could be blamed on a lingering shoulder injury.
However, that was before we found out the severity of that injury. It turns out he was playing through a torn labrum that needed offseason surgery.
Dave Van Horn is optimistic that Diggs will be able to return to his old form and be a formidable hitter, but that injury seemed to scare off pro scouts and he probably wouldn’t have received a signing bonus that exceeded what he could get in NIL.
Some fans may write him off based on his performance in 2024, but if Diggs can get healthy and make the jump he was expected to make this year, he should be a key piece in Arkansas’ lineup next season.
The biggest question is where he ends up defensively. He evolved into a pretty solid right fielder, but the Razorbacks are bringing in quite a few transfer outfielders and who knows how his shoulder recovers from the surgery. The fact that it’s his non-throwing arm helps, but he could still be someone who moved back to the infield or plays as a designated hitter.
On top of what he brings on the field, getting Diggs back is big from a leadership standpoint. Just as guys like Will McEntire and Dylan Carter will help the young and new guys on the mound, Diggs will help the position players.
3. Transfer Class Stays Intact through 2024 MLB Draft
None of the transfers committed to or signed with Arkansas baseball were viewed as super high MLB Draft prospects, but several of them generated interest from pro scouts and could have been drafted. However, none of them were.
From the junior college ranks, infielder Brent Iredale and outfielder Justin Thomas were considered two of the top six JUCO draft prospects by Prep Baseball Report. Thomas even told one outlet that he’d definitely sign if he got drafted.
With neither of them getting picked, they will immediately compete for starting jobs – likely at third base and center field, respectively – with the Razorbacks in 2025.
Only three of Arkansas’ transfer portal commitments were even draft eligible, with Logan Maxwell from TCU and Rocco Peppi from Fresno State being the most likely to be picked. Maxwell actually told BoAS that at least one scout said he was a Day 2/3 possibility.
Much like the two JUCO guys, Maxwell and Peppi figure to be in the mix for starting jobs – likely in the two corner outfield spots, or possibly as a designated hitter.
4. Don’t Expect Any Arkansas Baseball Draftees Back
Six Arkansas players, including four with remaining collegiate eligibility, were taken in the first two days of the 2024 MLB Draft. In addition to Hagen Smith being selected fifth overall, Peyton Stovall, Mason Molina and Hudson White were also chosen as juniors.
It could be easy to argue that those guys, outside of Smith, could improve their stats in a senior year of college baseball, but returning would eliminate any leverage they have in negotiations. That’s why you’ll see seniors like Jared Sprague-Lott and Ben McLaughlin sign for well under slot value.
As if that’s not enough to convince you, look at the last three years, when the MLB Draft went to a 20-round format. Only seven of 942 players selected in the top 10 rounds over that span failed to sign a professional contract. That’s less than 1%.
The only other Arkansas player taken was Jake Faherty, the hard-throwing right-hander who put up incredible numbers in a very small sample size this season.
Much like high school signee Eli Lovich, he was one of the first players off the board Tuesday, going in the 11th round. That likely indicates he has a deal in place with the Marlins, who will try to save money in their bonus pool to offer him more than $150,000.
Sure, Faherty could return to school as a redshirt junior, put up big numbers in a larger role and maintain his leverage in 2025, but that could also *not* happen. If he doesn’t improve, his draft stock might actually go down — and innings will be tough to come by next season because of how loaded the pitching staff is.
Some fans may argue that Faherty should return to school so he can at least have his degree as a “fall back plan” if baseball doesn’t work out, but that logic doesn’t really make sense. Fall back plans typically have a great chance of success when you’ve already got a couple hundred grand in the bank and a professional team paying for you to finish your degree (and 100% of it, opposed to the partial scholarship he’d get as a member of the Arkansas baseball team).
As for Brady Tygart, his slide to the 12th round was surprising, but it was likely tied to the injury that sidelined him late in the year. Given his injury history, it’d probably be best for him to sign for what he can get and begin his professional career.
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More coverage of Arkansas baseball and the 2024 MLB Draft from BoAS…
