MLB Draft Begins Monday for Razorbacks

2017 Draft Central | Active #ProHogs 

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Major League Baseball will hold its 2017 First-Year Player Draft Monday through Wednesday of this week with its first 36 picks to be aired live on MLB Network on Monday. The draft is set to be held in MLB Network’s Studio 42 in Secaucus, New Jersey.

The draft will begin live on MLB Network and MLB.com at 6 p.m. CDT Thursday. Prior to the start of the draft, MLB Network will air a draft preview show, also simulcast on MLB.com at 5 p.m.

The selection order of the First-Year Player Draft is determined by the reverse order of finish at the close of the previous season. The Minnesota Twins possess the first overall pick, followed by the Cincinnati Reds, San Diego Padres, Tampa Bay Rays, and Atlanta Braves to round out the top five picks.

40 rounds will make up the MLB draft and each round can be seen on MLB.com. Tuesday’s second day of the draft will include rounds 3-10 and will begin at 12 p.m. Wednesday’s final day will start at 11 a.m.

The Arkansas Razorbacks have a deep history in the MLB Draft. Last year, six Razorbacks were selected as pitcher Zach Jackson led the way by being picked in the third round, 102nd overall, by the Toronto Blue Jays. Clark Eagan, Dominic Taccolini, Michael Bernal, Doug Willey, and James Teague were also selected. Taccolini chose to come back for his senior season with the Razorbacks and made 20 appearances with five starts, compiling a 4.24 ERA and striking out 49 batters.

A school record 11 players were taken in the 2013 MLB Draft and 27 players have been taken over the last four years, which is second-most in the Southeastern Conference.

RAZORBACK DRAFT NOTES

• Jeff King was Arkansas’ highest draft pick in program history, coming in 1986 as the first overall pick to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
• Under current head coach Dave Van Horn, 84 players have been selected in 14 MLB Drafts since 2003, 41 percent of all of Arkansas’ draft picks in program history.
• The Razorbacks have had no less than three draft picks in a single year since 2003 and tallied a school-record 11 picks in the 2013 draft.
• 12 Arkansas players have been selected in the draft’s first three rounds since 2010, three being first-rounders (Zack Cox, Ryne Stanek, Andrew Benintendi).
• 207 Razorbacks have been drafted over the years since 1965. Outfielder Bill Gray was the first Hog to ever be drafted as he went to the Minnesota Twins in the 37th round.
• Eight players have been first-round picks in Arkansas’ history. Kevin McReynolds was the first Razorback to ever be taken in the first round after going to the San Diego Padres in 1981 as the sixth overall pick. Andrew Benintendi was the latest first rounder as he went to the Boston Red Sox as the seventh overall pick in 2015. He made his MLB debut one year later.

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