Arkansas Baseball in the 2024 MLB Draft: Picks, slot values, signing bonuses

Over the next three days, more than 600 players will have their dreams come true when their names are called in the 2024 MLB Draft – and some of them will have ties to the Arkansas baseball team.

The Razorbacks are expected to select between five and seven current players during the 20-round tournament that begins Sunday night and runs through Tuesday. They also risk losing several new players — from high school, junior college and even the transfer portal.

For a full breakdown of which players could be drafted and where they rank on the various lists of top MLB draft prospects, check out our comprehensive preview here.

As these players are drafted, Best of Arkansas Sports will update this article with all the information you need to know – team, pick number, slot value, additional information about the selection, and possibly signing bonus. Stay tuned with us!

How to watch the 2024 MLB Draft

• Day 1 – Sunday, July 14 – 6:00 p.m. CT (ESPN, MLB Network, MLB.com)
• Day 2 – Monday, July 15 – 1:00 p.m. CT (MLB.com)
• Day 3 – Tuesday, July 16 – 1:00 p.m. CT (MLB.com)

*You can track each selection with Draft Tracker from MLB.comto*

Arkansas Baseball on Day 1 of the 2024 MLB Draft

Rounds 1 and 2 will take place on the first day of the MLB Draft, as well as all of the so-called “sandwich” picks in the Prospect Promotion Incentive, Compensatory and Competitive Balance rounds. A total of 74 players will be drafted on Sunday evening.

*Check back later to see the selection*

Arkansas Baseball on the second day of the 2024 MLB Draft

The second day of the MLB Draft includes rounds 3 through 10, which consist of an additional 241 selections.

*Check back later to see the selection*

Arkansas Baseball on Day 3 of the 2024 MLB Draft

The final 10 rounds take place on the last day of the MLB Draft, and an additional 300 players are called up. These picks are not assigned slot values ​​like the first 10 rounds. Instead, teams are allowed to give signing bonuses up to $150,000 without penalty. Anything above that counts toward the team’s bonus pool.

*Check back later to see the selection*

Other notable picks

The following selections are not necessarily associated with the Arkansas baseball program, but have ties to the Natural State.

*Check back later to see the selection*

What you should know about the MLB Draft

The MLB Draft is traditionally a 40-round event, but has been permanently shortened to 20 rounds, which has been the length for the past three years.

The MLB Draft is not as straightforward as its NFL and NBA counterparts. In addition to selecting based on merit, teams must also consider each player’s “signability” – how likely he is to sign a professional contract.

High school and junior college players can choose to honor their commitments, and college players with remaining eligibility can return to school if they don’t receive the signing bonus they want, giving them an advantage in contract negotiations. Seniors don’t have that advantage, resulting in significantly lower bonuses.

In 2012, a new feature was introduced to the draft: slot values ​​and bonus pools. Each pick in the first 10 rounds is assigned a recommended signing bonus amount – or slot value – with teams allowed to spend up to the total value of the slot values ​​- or bonus pools – of their picks from the first 10 rounds.

Players selected in the 11th round and beyond can receive signing bonuses of up to $150,000 (up from $125,000) before they enter the equation, with the excess counting toward the bonus pool. The signing deadline this year is July 30 at 4 p.m. CT.

If a team fails to sign a player selected in the first 10 rounds, they lose the slot value of that pick from their bonus pool. That’s why it’s rare for teams to fail to sign their first draftees, especially those with seven-figure slot values.

During the three years of the 20-round draft era, only seven of 942 players (0.74%) selected in the first 10 rounds did not sign their contracts. Players become more likely to not sign in the second half of the draft – 6.4% in rounds 11-15 and 24.7% in rounds 16-20.

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More coverage of Arkansas baseball and the 2024 MLB Draft from BoAS…