Last updated July 16 at 2:15 p.m. CT
The 2024 Major League Baseball Draft began on Sunday and will continue through Tuesday.
Left-handed pitcher Hagen Smith was the first player with ties to the Arkansas baseball team to come off the board when he was selected fifth overall by the Chicago White Sox. He is one of many draft-eligible players the Razorbacks are eyeing over the next 20 rounds.
Check back later for the latest information on the Arkansas baseball team’s interest in the draft:
Hagen Smith, LHP
Elaborated: Chicago White Sox, 1st round, 5th overall
Status: Did not sign (slot value $7.76 million)
Smith became the highest drafted pitcher in Arkansas baseball history. He holds the Razorbacks’ strikeout record for a season (161 in 2024) and for a career (360). Smith was a unanimous first-team All-American and won the College Baseball Foundation’s National Pitcher of the Year Award. He was a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award and the Dick Howser Trophy, given to the national player of the year.
*Tyson Lewis, SS
Elaborated: Cincinnati Reds, 2nd round, 51st overall
Status: Did not sign (slot value $1.8 million)
Lewis, 6-foot-2 and 195 pounds, was ranked No. 39 in the draft by MLB.com. The Omaha, Nebraska, native was the first Nebraska high school player drafted since 2019. He bats left and throws right-arm. According to MLB.com’s scouting report, Lewis has a “quick left-handed swing and drives the ball harder and more consistently than he has in the past.” He is considered to have solid to above-average speed and is an aggressive baserunner.
Peyton Stovall, 2B
Elaborated: Cincinnati Reds, 4th round, 117th overall
Status: Did not sign (slot value $618,800)
Stovall turned down the MLB after high school when he was ranked as the No. 33 prospect by Baseball America. He played three seasons for the Razorbacks and was named to the All-America third team this year by the American Baseball Coaches Association. As a junior, he posted a .340/.409/.535 batting average with 9 home runs and 38 RBIs. He made just two errors in 160 total opportunities. Stovall throws right-arm and bats left-handed.
Mason Molina, LHP
Elaborated: Milwaukee Brewers, 7th round, 215th overall
Status: Did not sign (slot value $257,400)
Molina transferred to Arkansas for his junior season after playing two seasons at Texas Tech. In his only season with the Razorbacks, Molina had a 4.47 ERA and 81 strikeouts in 58 1/3 innings pitched. He was a weekend starter for most of the season before command issues forced him into a bullpen role.
Jared Sprague Lott, 3B
Elaborated: Oakland Athletics, 9th round, 256th overall
Status: Did not sign (slot value $201,300)
Sprague-Lott transferred to Arkansas before the season after three years in Richmond. He posted a .290 batting average with 49 hits, 9 home runs, 7 doubles and 28 RBIs. Sprague-Lott was named to the SEC All-Defensive Team.
Hudson White, C
Elaborated: Boston Red Sox, 9th round, 267th overall
Status: Did not sign (slot value $194,600)
White transferred to Arkansas before his junior season after two years at Texas Tech. He batted .297 with 47 hits, 12 doubles, 8 home runs and 33 RBI. White had a fielding percentage of .994. He was the 2022 Big 12 Freshman of the Year.
Ben McLaughlin, 1B
Elaborated: Arizona Diamondbacks, 9th round, 284th overall
Status: Did not sign (slot value $187,600)
McLaughlin spent his first two seasons at Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College before finishing his college career with the Razorbacks. While at Hutchinson, he was named the 2022 NJCAA Rawlings Gold Glove Award winner. As a senior at Arkansas in 2024, McLaughlin led the Razorbacks by a wide margin with 50 walks drawn and a .447 on-base percentage. He had 9 home runs, which was second-highest on the team, and his .302 batting average, 61 hits, 11 doubles and 99 RBIs all ranked third. His fielding percentage was .993.
*Eli Lovich, OF
Elaborated: Chicago Cubs, 11th round, 332nd overall
Status: Has not signed (no slot value)
Lovich, 6’4″ and 185 pounds, was ranked as the No. 474 draft prospect by Baseball America. The left-hander has a solid swing, is athletic and can throw, too. Lovich throws three pitches with a fastball that tops 80 mph. He is the younger brother of Arkansas outfielder Ross Lovich.
Jake Faherty, RHP
Elaborated: Miami Marlins, 11th round, 334th overall
Status: Has not signed (no slot value)
Faherty had a strong junior season for the Razorbacks. He made 16 relief appearances and posted a 1.84 ERA over 14 2/3 innings pitched. Faherty struck out 26 batters and walked nine – an improvement from earlier in his career. He recorded one save during the Razorbacks’ 5-4 victory over Oregon State at the Texas Rangers’ Globe Life Field.
Brady Tygart, RHP
Elaborated: Boston Red Sox, 12th round, 357th overall
Status: Has not signed (no slot value)
Tygart was a weekend starter for the Razorbacks for most of his junior year, but struggled with consistency late in the season as he battled a shoulder injury. He had a 3.94 ERA over 59 1/3 innings pitched and recorded 69 strikeouts against 36 walks. He was a Freshman All-American in 2022 as a closer and earned College Baseball Foundation All-America honors in 2023 as a primary reliever.
*indicates who was drafted from high school
