Advertisement
Published Jul 13, 2021
2021 MLB Draft: Several Hogs, signees taken on Day 3, Battles undrafted
circle avatar
Andrew Hutchinson  •  HawgBeat
Managing Editor
Twitter
@NWAHutch

Not a subscriber? Subscribe for free for 30 days w/code HAWGS30
NEW USERS | RETURNING USERS

Advertisement

The third and final day of the 2021 MLB Draft is set to begin at 11 a.m. CT Tuesday on MLB.com.

Usually a 30-round marathon, it will consist of only 10 - Rounds 11-20 - this year because it was shortened in response to the coronavirus pandemic. That means another 300 players will be selected.

Six current Razorbacks and three signees have been picked so far, but perhaps the biggest news has been a couple of players who have pulled out of the draft - top signee Peyton Stovall and starting first baseman Brady Slavens.

A few more could be drafted on Day 3, but most of the attention in Arkansas will be centered around who joins Stovall and Slavens in Fayetteville next year.

Most notably, shortstop Jalen Battles and left-hander Caden Monke were thought to be Day 2 prospects, but neither were selected Monday. Designated hitter/outfielder Matt Goodheart could potentially get picked Tuesday. If they go undrafted, there is a good chance all three return to school for another season.

Outside of Stovall, the highest-ranked signees - according to Perfect Game - yet to be drafted are outfielder Braylon Bishop (No. 54), left-hander Hagen Smith (No. 71), right-hander Brady Tygart (No. 73), shortstop Drake Varnado (No. 93), catcher Max Soliz Jr. (No. 119) and right-hander Vincent Trapani (No. 128).

The fact that they've made it through the first 10 rounds without getting drafted is a good sign for Arkansas, but it isn't in the clear yet.

Teams can give players drafted in the 11th round and later a signing bonus of up to $125,000, with anything over that counting against their bonus pool for the first 10 rounds. They also aren't penalized for failing to sign a player taken on Day 3, whereas they lose the slot value from their bonus pool for unsigned picks on the first two days.

That means teams can take a shot on high school prospects with signability concerns, so there's a chance the Razorbacks see some of their signees drafted Tuesday.

Follow along below as HawgBeat tracks all of the Arkansas and SEC-related picks on Day 3...

Arkansas players/signees

Braylon Bishop - OF - Texarkana (Ark.) HS

Team: Pittsburgh Pirates

Pick: 14th round, 403rd overall

Once considered a top-10 prospect in the Class of 2021 who even drew comparisons to Ken Griffey Jr., Bishop saw his draft stock drop considerably in the past year as he struggled against better competition. He was just inside the top 100 on prospect lists by Baseball America and MLB Pipeline entering the draft.

Ranked the No. 54 overall recruit in the Class of 2021 by Perfect Game, Bishop is the third-highest signee in the Razorbacks’ class and certainly has the potential to back up his draft position, as evidenced by his selection to the 2020 Perfect Game All-American Classic.

He has run the 60-yard dash in sub-6.6 seconds and is a great athlete, also playing quarterback and running track in high school. Two of his cousins - LaDarrius Bishop and Montaric Brown - are currently defensive backs at Arkansas after being four-star recruits, so he also has good bloodlines.

The biggest issue is with his swing that most scouts agree needs some work with its mechanics, which could happen at the minor league level assuming he signs professionally.

**UPDATE**

It doesn't look like Bishop plans on signing with Pittsburgh. (UPDATE: Bishop appears to have deleted the tweet that said "See you soon @RazorbackBSB" with two laughing emojis.)

info icon
Embed content not availableManage privacy settings

**UPDATE**

Another one of the Razorbacks' top signees, shortstop Drake Varnado, has announced he's pulling out of the rest of the draft and will play at Arkansas. He was the No. 93 overall recruit in the Class of 2021, according to Perfect Game, and one of 10 finalists for the MaxPreps National Player of the Year Award.

info icon
Embed content not availableManage privacy settings

Caden Monke - LHP - Arkansas

Team: Kansas City Royals

Pick: 14th round, 409th overall

Teammate Kevin Kopps got all of the attention, rightfully so, but Monke was the Razorbacks’ next best reliever in 2021.

As a junior, the Texas native made 27 appearances - behind only Kopps’ 33 - and went 5-1 with a 3.71 ERA and 42 strikeouts in 34 innings. Although he struggled with command at times, as evidenced by his 21 walks, Monke was hard to hit. Opponents batted just .162 against the left-hander, which is the same as Kopps.

Including the pandemic-shorted 2020 season, Monke posted a 3.42 ERA and averaged 11.1 strikeouts per nine innings over the last two years at Arkansas. Even including his freshman year, when he struggled with command and pitched only three innings, he still held opponents to a minuscule .159 batting average during his college career.

He technically has two years of eligibility remaining because the pandemic-related relief by the NCAA, so Monke could opt to return to school and still have a year of leverage.

Drake Varnado - SS - IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)

Team: Arizona Diamondbacks

Pick: 17th round, 498th overall

Despite announcing his intentions to play at Arkansas, as mentioned above, Varnado has been selected by the Diamondbacks in the 17th round.

A native of Texas, Varnado spent his last two years of high school at IMG Academy. Despite playing alongside many talented players on one of the best high school teams in the country, he led IMG in home runs, RBIs, slugging percentage and stolen bases this year.

As a senior, he slashed .434/.529/.819 with seven home runs and 23 RBIs in 83 at bats. He also swiped 20 bases in 25 games. That made him one of 10 finalists for the MaxPreps National Player of the Year Award and a second-team All-American by Collegiate Baseball.

Varnado has long been viewed as one of the top players in the 2021 class. He participated in the 2018 and 2019 Perfect Game Junior National Showcases and then the regular National Showcase in 2020.

That helped him become the No. 93 overall recruit in the class, per Perfect Game. He is one of the Razorbacks’ seven top-100 recruits in the 2021 signing class.

Elijah Trest - RHP - Arkansas

Team: Colorado Rockies

Pick: 19th round, 560th overall

Expected to be the Razorbacks' closer going into the season, Trest put up decent numbers - 3.14 ERA in 14 1/3 innings - but saw his playing time dwindle down the stretch. Although he remained on the postseason roster, the right-hander's 10th and final appearance was a midweek win over Arkansas State in which he recorded just two outs.

It was a disappointing finish to the season after showing promise earlier in his career. Trest struggled with his command as a freshman in 2019, but still pitched 19 innings in 15 appearances, and then was off to a great start last year before the pandemic. He posted a 1.93 ERA in 9 1/3 innings in 2020.

Charlie Welch - C/1B - Arkansas

Team: Seattle Mariners

Pick: 19th round, 564th overall

A junior college addition who began his career at Pepperdine, Welch figured to be a backup catcher for the Razorbacks in 2021, but he evolved into arguably the best pinch hitter in college baseball.

The Florida native slashed .388/.494/.821 with eight home runs and 25 RBIs despite getting only 67 at bats throughout the season. He delivered the game-winning hit against Florida, giving Arkansas the regular-season SEC title, and also hit the home run that sealed the win over Nebraska in the Fayetteville Regional.

Head coach Dave Van Horn had previously said he expected Welch to return to Arkansas, so it is unknown if he'll sign with Seattle.

Brenden Dixon - 2B - Weatherford College

Team: Pittsburgh Pirates

Pick: 20th round, 583rd overall

After beginning his career at Texas and spending the COVID-shortened 2020 season with the Longhorns, Dixon decided to go the JUCO route and landed at Weatherford College. He committed to the Razorbacks in March.

In his lone season at Weatherford, Dixon hit .335/.495/.633 with 10 home runs and 39 RBIs in 53 games.

Expected to come to Fayetteville and compete for a spot in the infield, playing time will be tougher to come by with the unexpected return of first baseman Brady Slavens and (likely) shortstop Jalen Battles. Second baseman Robert Moore will also be back, plus two of the Razorbacks' top infield signees - Peyton Stovall and Drake Varnado - have announced plans to come to school.

SEC players/signees

11th Round

~Mets, 322nd pick: Rowdey Jordan - OF (Mississippi State)

~Phillies, 325th pick: Andrew Baker - RHP (South Carolina signee)

~Reds, 330th pick: Shawn Guilliams - RHP (Florida signee)

12th Round

~Rangers, 344th pick: Jackson Leath - RHP (Tennessee)

~Diamondbacks, 348th pick: Davis Diaz - SS (Vanderbilt signee)

13th Round

~Marlins, 389th pick: Chandler Jozwiak - LHP (Texas A&M)

14th Round

~Orioles, 407th pick: Daniel Lloyd - RHP (South Carolina)

~Rockies, 410th pick: Tyler Ras - RHP (Alabama)

~Marlins, 419th pick: Holt Jones - RHP (Kentucky)

17th Round

~White Sox, 515th pick: Jayson Gonzalez - 3B (Vanderbilt)

18th Round

~Nationals, 533rd pick: Steven Williams - OF (Auburn)

19th Round

~Phillies, 565th pick: Seth Halvorsen - RHP (Missouri, transferring to Tennessee)