Arkansas signee drafted, Knight slips out of Day 1

The only player with ties to the Razorbacks taken on Day 1 of the 2018 MLB Draft was Arkansas signee Josh Breaux, as right-handed pitcher Blaine Knight slipped out of the top 78 picks.

Rated the No. 71 overall prospect and fifth-best catcher by MLB.com, Breaux was selected by the New York Yankees in the second round and with the 61st overall pick, which has a slot value of about $1.1 million.

That money will likely be hard to turn down for Breaux, who has batted .403 with 37 home runs and 151 RBIs in 115 games at McLennan C.C. over the last two seasons. Behind the plate, he didn’t commit any errors in 320 chances.

Although he has thrown out only seven of 29 base stealers, Breaux has a cannon for an arm. He has been clocked at 100 miles per hour as a pitcher, but he sometimes struggles with accuracy, according to his MLB.com scouting report.

Breaux’s older brother, Joe, played with him at McLennan in 2017 before transferring to Alabama. During the Crimson Tide’s three-game series at Baum Stadium from April 27-29, Joe hit his first two home runs of the season against Arkansas.

Perhaps the most surprising development of the first day of the MLB Draft was that Knight went undrafted. He was considered a top-50 prospect by multiple publications.

After not being taken in the top two rounds or with any of the compensatory picks, Knight will have to wait another day to hear his name called. Rounds 3-10 begin at noon Tuesday, with the final 30 rounds set to begin at 11 a.m. Wednesday.