First Arkansas signee off the board in 2020 MLB Draft

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The first member of Arkansas’ touted signing class is off the board at the 2020 MLB Draft.

Masyn Winn, the two-way player from Kingswood, Texas, was taken by the St. Louis Cardinals in the second round and with the 54th overall pick on Thursday. That pick comes with a slot value of about $1.34 million.

Originally a Stanford commit, Winn re-opened his recruitment in the summer of 2018 and eventually landed with Arkansas in October of that year.

Ranked the No. 18 overall recruit in the Class of 2020 by Perfect Game, scouts and Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn weren’t quite sure where he’d play at the next level. He has a ton of power as a hitter and is quick at shortstop, but emerged as a right-handed pitcher capable of throwing 98 miles per hour with a high spin rate.

The coronavirus pandemic and a 12-game suspension limited him to just one game this year, but he was dominant as a junior. Winn went 13-0 with a 0.67 ERA and 117 strikeouts in 76 1/3 innings on the mound and hit .417 with eight home runs and 46 RBIs at the plate, earning District 22-6A MVP honors.

Unlike the NFL and NBA Drafts, just because he was picked in the MLB Draft doesn’t mean Winn for sure won’t make it to campus. He has until Aug. 1 to agree to a deal with the Cardinals. Considering he’ll likely receive a large signing bonus, though, it’s unlikely he ever plays for the Razorbacks.

Although he’s the highest-ranked player in Arkansas’ 2020 signing class, there’s a good chance he won’t be the only one Van Horn loses to the draft. Here are HawgBeat’s predictions for which signees could join him in the draft and which come to school.