Kopps drafted 99th overall, 7 more with Arkansas links selected on Day 2

FAYETTEVILLE – Arkansas pitcher Kevin Kopps was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the third round of the MLB Draft on Monday.

Kopps was the 99th player selected in the draft and the fourth player drafted by the Padres. The suggested signing bonus for the Kopps Slot in the Draft is $ 587,400.

Kopps, 24, still has one year of eligibility in Arkansas, but may not qualify for the full signing bonus due to his advanced age. The majority of drafted players are 21 and under.

Kopps is coming off one of the best individual seasons ever for a Razorback. He was the first relief pitcher to win the Dick Howser Trophy as National Player of the Year after posting a 12-1 record with 11 saves and a top 0.90 ERA in the country.

Kopps is one of eight players with Arkansas connections who were selected on day two of the draft. Outfield signing Jordan Viars of Frisco, TX Reed was drafted 84th overall by the Philadelphia Phillies and signing outfielder / pitcher Drew Gray of Swansea, Ill.

Gray, who played at IMG Academy in Florida, is the younger brother of Arkansas pitcher Evan Gray. He was drafted as an outfielder.

Viars and Gray join shortstop Max Muncy as Razorback signatories who were drafted. Muncy was selected 25th overall by the Oakland Athletics in the first round, a pick that has a suggested value of over $ 2.7 million.

The Cubs also drafted Arkansas junior outfielder Christian Franklin 123rd overall in the fourth round and junior wide receiver Casey Opitz 244th in the eighth round.

Right-handed relief pitcher Ryan Costeiu was drafted 201st by the Los Angeles Angels in the seventh round, left-handed starting pitcher Patrick Wicklander was drafted 251st by the Tampa Bay Rays in the eighth round and left-handed starting pitcher Lael Lockhart was drafted 282nd overall by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the ninth round.

The site value for the Viars site in the project is $ 721,900 and the site value for the Gray site is $ 627,900.

The slot values ​​for the other drafted Razorbacks are $ 464,500 for Franklin, $ 229,700 for Costeiu, $ 168,500 for Opitz, $ 163,400 for Wicklander, and $ 149,800 for Lockhart.

Lockhart is the only one of Arkansas drafted players with no remaining eligibility, although all drafted players on Monday are likely to sign professionally. Lockhart’s signing bonus could be well below the suggested value for his place in the draft due to his lack of negotiating leverage.

Franklin was Arkansas’ highest rated player in the draft, ranked 57th by Baseball America. He was a first-round prospect a year ago, but a high strikeout total – he led the Razorbacks with 78 strikeouts in 215 batting this year – has caused his stock to plummet.

Franklin is considered one of the best defensive outfalls in the draft. He also has the ability to strike for power and is a quality base thief.

Franklin reached 0.274 with an OPS of 0.964 as a junior at Arkansas. He hit 13 home runs, was second on the team with 54 RBIs and had 11 of 14 basic steal attempts.

Costeiu pitched 30 innings and had a 5.30 ERA in his only season in Arkansas. A native of Clayton, Calif., Costeiu transferred to the Razorbacks after two seasons at Sacramento City College in his home state.

In 26 relief appearances, Costeiu was 8-3, struck out 40 on catches and walked 15. He allowed three of four homers at bat in his last outing on June 12, a 6- loss. 5 against North Carolina State which forced a win-win game in the NCAA Super Regional Fayetteville.

Opitz has been an anchor in Arkansas’ last three teams. He started 125 games and played 148 in a four-year career that included a save season and a season shortened due to the covid-19 pandemic.

Opitz was consistently one of college baseball’s top defensive receivers. He was scheduled to turn pro last season, but did not receive an attractive offer in a five-round draft and chose to return to college.

Wicklander was Arkansas’ starting ace this season and was 7-1 with a 2.09 ERA. Wicklander started the season as a relief pitcher, but worked his way into the starting rotation for the third year in a row and thrived in his first season as a pitcher with a diagnosis of type 1 diabetes.

Lockhart transferred to Arkansas as a Houston graduate before the season. He’s gone 3-3 with a 4.47 ERA in 16 appearances, including 14 starts.

On May 26, Lockhart approached a perfect seven-innings game against Georgia in the SEC tournament.

The players who weren’t drafted made headlines on Monday.

Shortstop Peyton Stovall of Haughton, La., Announced Monday that he was removing his name from the draft just before the start of the second round. Stovall was the Razorbacks’ highest-rated signing, ranked 33rd by Baseball America.

Arkansas first baseman Brady Slavens has also announced that he will return to Arkansas for the 2022 season. Slavens reached 0.284 with an OPS of 0.907 in his debut season after being transferred from Johnson County (Kan .) Community College.

Slavens hit 14 home runs and led the Razorbacks with 63 RBIs. He was draft-eligible this year, but will retain his leverage in 2022 as he has two seasons of college eligibility left.

Arkansas shortstop Jalen Battles was not drafted, potentially increasing the likelihood of him returning to the Razorbacks for another season. Battles, who still have two seasons of eligibility, was ranked 359th best prospect in the draft by Baseball America.

Braylon Bishop, a signatory from Texarkana’s outfield, was also undrafted. Bishop was ranked third best prospect for the Razorbacks by Baseball America, 88th overall.

Bishop, Stovall and the three signers who were drafted were among Arkansas’ 10 signatories who were ranked in Baseball America’s Top 500 Draft Prospects.

The likelihood that one of the Arkansas high school signers will be drafted drops dramatically between the 10th and 11th rounds, but is still possible. MLB rules include financial penalties for teams that sign picks over $ 125,000 after the start of Round 11.

The final day of the 20-round draft is scheduled to start Tuesday at 11 a.m.