Arkansas 2024 MLB Draft primer

Taking place in the heart of the offseason, the 2024 MLB Draft is finally upon us Sunday and all eyes in the college baseball world - especially at Arkansas - will be focused on Fort Worth, Texas, the next three days.

Several current and future Razorbacks could be among the 615 players who will hear their name called during the 20-round event, which starts Sunday.

Here’s everything you need to know about the MLB Draft…

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Day 1, Round 1-2, Competitive Balance A/B - Sunday, July 14 - 6 p.m. CT (ESPN, MLB Network)

Day 2, Rounds 3-10 - Monday, July 15 - 1 p.m. CT (MLB.com)

Day 3, Rounds 11-20 - Tuesday, July 16 - 1 p.m. CT (MLB.com)

~ LHP Hagen Smith

2024 stats: 9-2 W/L, 2.04 ERA, 16 GS, 84.0 IP, 19 ER, 34 BB, 161 K

A projected top-10 pick by every major metric, Smith will be the first Arkansas player selected in the first-round since outfielder Heston Kjerstad was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles second overall in 2020. Smith is one of a few locks to head to the pros.

Future Star Series snippet:

"Smith throws the kitchen sink. A four-seam fastball, a sinker, a slider, a split-finger, and a very nascent curve. He’s primarily a fastball-slider-split guy, though there’s pitchability here and a willingness to mix it up when the opportunity calls for it. His fastball has brushed 100 mph in side sessions, however, he more comfortably lives in the 94-97 range and will grab the upper 90s early in games. The real weapon is the splitter, a massive fading parachute that’s tormented hitters for the better part of three years. It flashes plus and is consistently an above-average weapon though its consistency has wavered this spring as Smith tends to go to the breaking ball more often."

~ 2B Peyton Stovall

2024 stats: .340/.409/.535, 39 R, 68 H, 12 2B, 9 HR, 38 RBI

Like Smith, there is next to no drama here as Stovall is a projected top-3 round pick. He already said no to the MLB before when he signed with Arkansas out of high school a few years ago — he's not doing it again.

~ C Hudson White

2024 stats: .297/.396/.525, 30 R, 47 H, 12 2B, 8 HR, 33 RBI

White was viewed as a draft prospect before joining the Razorbacks, but some scuffling during the season led to many thinking he could return for another season in Fayetteville. A strong finish to end the 2024 season flipped that narrative, and now he'll likely be picked in the middle rounds.

~ RHP Brady Tygart

2024 stats: 4-3 W/L, 3.94 ERA, 13 GS, 59.1 IP, 26 ER, 36 BB, 69 K

Tygart never fully reached his potential with the Hogs due to injuries and inconsistency, but the ceiling is incredibly high because of his nasty offspeed pitch. If he can get healthy in an organization that will develop his skillset properly, he'll be a weapon in some Major League bullpen.

Future Star Series snippet:

"Tygart, put quite simply, has some of the most insane stuff the 2024 class has to offer. Blessed with an absolute hammer slider with immense sweep and a mid-90s heater that bores in on righties, Tygart is a huge weapon out of the bullpen. There's considerable effort in his delivery and just about everyone is convinced he's destined for high-leverage roles at the next level. That said, the pure stuff here is unmatched and Tygart represents the type of talent that could force his way onto a competing big league bullpen in September 2024 after he's selected."

~ LHP Mason Molina

2024 stats: 4-2 W/L, 4.47 ERA, 13 GS, 58.1 IP, 29 ER, 36 BB, 81 K

Ranked as the top overall transfer that Arkansas landed after the 2022 season, Molina struggled down the stretch but still has excellent "stuff" from the left side. Control is the biggest issue for the California native — dial pitch location in and anything is possible.

~ OF Kendall Diggs

2024 stats: .229/.346/.395, 35 R, 47 H, 11 2B, 1 3B, 7 HR, 34 RBI

Offense was Arkansas' biggest issue in 2024, and a big reason was the absence of Diggs production-wise. After starting the year hitting .352/.478/.574, Diggs suffered a shoulder injury against McNeese State and finished with a .229 average.

Because of that dropoff, Diggs is the first name that has some doubt for the MLB Draft this year. Does he call it quits on his collegiate career, or make one more run at a College World Series while fully healthy? Head coach Dave Van Horn said he wouldn't mind coaching Diggs again.

"We’d love to have him back," Van Horn said June 26. "He would have to miss all of Fall. I hope we have an opportunity to coach him next year. Because he can get back and play."

Future Star Series snippet:

"Diggs has been a fixture for the Razorbacks going back to his freshman year and can handle a number of roles with his versatility. A contact hitter by trade, Diggs has proven he's got juice in the bat, though contact quality has come and gone, especially against premium competition. That should improve with age. Scouts think his barrel-chested frame could grow into solid average power, maybe more. Diggs is an average runner and a tick better athlete, though his routes in the field and on the dirt have left something to be desired at times when projecting him into a full-time role defensively at the next level."

~ RHP Jake Faherty

2024 stats: 0-1 W/L, 1.84 ERA, 16 GP, 14.2 IP, 3 ER, 9 BB, 26 K

An electric arm with untapped ability, Faherty has a wiry frame that produces high velocity but unstable control. Some team will take a chance on the Kentucky native, and he'll have a great shot of working his way up through the minors aftter getting some innings under his belt.

"I feel like somebody is going to draft Faherty," Van Horn said. "What a great arm. When you look at his numbers, you kind of go, ‘wow.’ Super low ERA. We knew this was going to happen to him. When he walked through the door, he was a big arm. Really raw. He was all the little things. Holding runners, fielding his position. Just baseball. It’s what you’ve got to do to stop teams. As far as pitching and guys hitting him, nobody’s ever really hit him here. I think that somebody will take him."

Future Star Series snippet:

"Faherty is blessed with considerable arm talent boasting a fastball up in the upper 90s as a mid-80s slider that has a track record of wiping out the competition. Faherty's strike-throwing ability has come a long ways, though it's still below average. It is high-level athleticism and a repeatable delivery that should be workable at the next level. This is purely a projection play as Faherty doesn't have a whole lot of game experience yet but the stuff is as loud as it comes."

~ UT Peyton Holt

~ 3B Jared Sprague-Lott

~ LHP Stone Hewlett

~ INF Ben McLaughlin

~ RHP Koty Frank

~ OF Ross Lovich

~ C Hudson Polk

~ UT Jack Wagner

~ OF Ty Wilmsmeyer

~ C Parker Rowland

~ LHP Cole Gibler

~ RHP Carson Wiggins

~ INF Gabe Fraser

~ INF Tyson Lewis

~ OF Eli Lovich

Carson Wiggins — the brother of former Razorback right-handed pitcher Jaxon Wiggins — and Lewis are the top two candidates to be drafted early and forego their college eligibility. Lewis is a projected first-rounder, while Wiggins has loud stuff and may be okay with a top-three-round selection. Don't give your hopes up on either dawning Razorback red.

Gibler is another who has top-three-round potential as a lefty with excellent control. Eli Lovich will likely follow in the footsteps of his brother Ross Lovich to become a Razorback and Fraser has a good chance of staying on campus as well.

"A couple, three of the position players are going to have to make decisions," Van Horn said. "Two or three pitchers, for sure. I don’t want to mention too many names right now, kind of put that on them. But the draft this year is really strong in the first round, and then after that, if you talk to the scouts it’s not the same as it was last year. Could help some kids move up, get offered more money than maybe would have been a later pick. I don’t know how it’s going to affect us.

"But after that, you’re talking about a couple of other starting pitchers. It’s hard to say where they’re gonna go. I feel like they’ll get drafted, but maybe not where they thought they would, so we’ll see how that turns out. Just excited for the draft to get here, and then we can finish our roster, because right now it’s all about roster and numbers."

Note: Only five of Arkansas' 19 high school commits are listed due to a lack of MLB interest in other prospects.

~ JUCO INF Brent Iredale

The No. 2 junior college according to Prep Baseball Report, Iredale is a powerful slugger with a good eye from Australia. Primarily a third baseman, Iredale hit for a .441 batting average and added 25 home runs with 25 stolen bases to boot. The recent buzz has pointed to him sticking in the MLB Draft if he's selected, so the Razorbacks will be incredibly fortunate to keep in their grasp.

~ JUCO OF Justin Thomas

In an interview with Savannah Morning News last week, Thomas reportedly said that he would turn professional if he was selected in the MLB Draft over the next three days. That doesn't come as a shock, as Thomas is the No. 6 JUCO prospect per PBR after slashing .393/.514/.699 with 14 home runs and 49 RBIs.

What doesn't help the Hogs' case is the competition in the outfield, especially after Arkansas added multiple transfers at the position over the offseason. Should he make it to Fayetteville, Thomas will likely compete in center field.

~ TCU transfer OF Logan Maxwell

Maxwell was one of Arkansas' earliest transfer portal adds out of TCU, where he finished with a .335 batting average in left field. An on-base hitter with a keen eye at the plate, Mawell walked more times (30) than he struck out (23) in 2024.

Though he hasn't appeared on any MLB Draft boards, his name has been floated around as a potential option for some organizations.

~ Fresno State transfer OF Rocco Peppi

Ranked as the No. 36 overall transfer prospect according to 64Analytics, Peppi is exactly what Arkansas needs in the outfield as he hit for average (.327 BA) and power (14 HRs) last season.

Future Star Series snippet:

"Peppi has an immense following in the scouting community. He's a fan-favorite and a hitters-hitter. There's a bit of Ty France in his unorthodox, handsy setup and swing. Peppi hardly ever strikes out, but he also never aims to take his walks either. He's shown average raw power and plus bat-to-ball skills. Evaluators question if all the moving parts will lend well toward hitting at the next level, but he's done everything he can to prove he deserves a shot. He's draft-eligible for the second time."

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