LIVE UPDATES: Arkansas Baseball in 2023 MLB Draft
Over the next three days, more than 600 players will have their dreams come true by hearing their name called during the 2022 MLB Draft — and several will have ties to Arkansas baseball.
The Razorbacks are expected to have at least four current players selected during the 20-round event, which begins Sunday night and goes through Tuesday. They will also likely see several signees in their top-ranking recruiting class picked, as well.
For a complete breakdown of which players could get drafted and where they rank on various lists of top MLB Draft prospects, check out our comprehensive preview.
As those players get drafted, Best of Arkansas Sports will be updating this piece with all of the information you need to know — team, pick number, slot value and additional context behind the selection. Follow along with us!
How to Watch the 2023 MLB Draft
Day 1 — Sunday, July 9 — 6 p.m. CT (ESPN, MLB Network)
Day 2 — Monday, July 10 — 1 p.m. CT (MLB.com)
Day 3 — Tuesday, July 11 — 1 p.m. CT (MLB.com)
Arkansas Baseball on Day 1 of 2023 MLB Draft
The first day of the MLB Draft will include Rounds 1 and 2, as well as all of the so-called “sandwich” picks in the compensatory and competitive balance rounds. In total, 70 players will be drafted Sunday night.
Report: Adam Hachman Withdraws from MLB Draft
A few hours before the start of the 2023 MLB Draft, the Arkansas baseball program received some good news when Baseball America’s Carlos Collazo reported that left-hander Adam Hachman had withdrawn his name from the draft. He is one of the Razorbacks’ many top-100 signees they’re worried about losing over the next three days.
Once viewed as a potential first-round pick, Hachman is the No. 58 overall recruit in the 2023 class, according to Perfect Game. After missing most of his junior season with an injury, he had a big summer and even racked up nine strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings while pitching for Team USA, with his velocity flirting with triple digits.
Unfortunately, Hachman – who went to Timberland High in Wentzville, Mo. – eventually needed Tommy John surgery this spring. Dave Van Horn mentioned him in a Swatter’s Club meeting this year, telling fans that the injury might help him get to campus.
He won’t be able to pitch in 2024, but the hope is that he’ll be able to rehab and be a big part of the staff in 2025 and 2026. Other than his injury history, the biggest strikes on his scouting report involve his mechanics and control, especially of his secondary pitches. If he can get that ironed out, Hachman could easily prove himself as a first-round talent and make much more money in the 2026 MLB Draft.
Arkansas Baseball on Day 2 of 2023 MLB Draft
The second day of the MLB Draft will include Rounds 3-10, which consists of another 244 selections.
Arkansas Baseball on Day 3 of 2023 MLB Draft
The last 10 rounds will take place on the final day of the MLB Draft, with yet another 300 players set to hear their names called. These picks are not assigned slot values like the first 10 rounds. Instead, teams are allowed to give signing bonuses up to $150,000 with no penalty. Anything above that counts toward the team’s bonus pool.
Other SEC Baseball Players, Signees Drafted
This is a team-by-team look at how the other SEC baseball teams were impacted by the 2023 MLB Draft. It will be updated with every current player and signee selected.
Alabama
Round Pick Name Team 1 16 Bryce Eldridge (signee) San Francisco Giants
Auburn
Round Pick Name Team
Florida
Round Pick Name Team 1 4 Wyatt Langford Texas Rangers
Georgia
Round Pick Name Team
Kentucky
Round Pick Name Team
LSU
Round Pick Name Team 1 1 Paul Skenes Pittsburgh Pirates 1 2 Dylan Crews Washington Nationals 1 8 Blake Mitchell (signee) Kansas City Royals
Mississippi State
Round Pick Name Team
Missouri
Round Pick Name Team
Ole Miss
Round Pick Name Team 1 15 Jacob Gonzalez Chicago White Sox
South Carolina
Round Pick Name Team
Tennessee
Round Pick Name Team 1 9 Chase Dollander Colorado Rockies
Texas A&M
Round Pick Name Team
Vanderbilt
Round Pick Name Team 1 3 Max Clark (signee) Detroit Tigers 1 17 Enrique Bradfield Jr. Baltimore Orioles
What to Know About the MLB Draft
Traditionally a 40-round event, the MLB Draft has been permanently shorted to 20 rounds, which was its length the last two years.
The MLB Draft is not as straightforward as its counterparts in the NFL and NBA. In addition to making selections based on merit, teams have to consider each player’s “signability” — how likely he is to sign a professional contract.
High school and junior college prospects can choose to honor their commitments and college players with remaining eligibility can return to school if they don’t receive their desired signing bonus, giving them leverage in contract negotiations. Seniors do not have that advantage, leading to significantly smaller bonuses.
In 2012, a new wrinkle was introduced to the draft: slot values and bonus pools. Each pick in the top 10 rounds is assigned a recommended signing bonus amount – or slot value – with teams being allowed to spend up to the combined value of their top-10 round picks’ slot values – or bonus pool.
Players selected in the 11th round and beyond can receive signing bonuses up to $150,000 (previously $125,000) before it factors into the equation, with the excess counting toward the bonus pool. The signing deadline is July 25 this year.
If a team does not sign a player taken in the first 10 rounds, it loses that pick’s slot value from its bonus pool. That is why it’s rare for teams not to sign their early draftees, especially those with seven-figure slot values.
In the two years of the 20-round draft era, only six of 628 players (0.96%) taken in the top 10 rounds failed to sign. It becomes more likely that players don’t sign in the back half of the draft — 7.3% in rounds 11-15 and 24% in rounds 16-20.
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More coverage of Arkansas baseball and the MLB Draft from BoAS…
Source: Best of Arkansas Sports
