Arkansas signee Ben Rortvedt, a catcher from Verona Area (Wis.) High School, was taken with the 56th pick in the Major League Baseball first-year player draft late Thursday.
Rortvedt, 18, was a second-round selection by the Minnesota Twins. The 5-10, 190-pounder was the sixth catcher taken in the draft.
Rortvedt was hitting .393 with 10 RBI, 17 runs, a .506 on-base percentage and a.574 slugging percentage as of May 25. “I liked him better than all those [drafted] catchers,” MLB Network analyst Harold Baines said of Rortvedt. Rortvedt was ranked as the No. 2 player in Wisconsin and the No. 82 player available in the draft by Baseball America. He was ranked No. 51 by MLB Pipeline.
“Talking to a lot of scouts about him this spring, they really like the offensive potential, but they weren’t saying this guy’s going to have to move [positions],” said Jim Callis of MLB Network. “He’s got enough tools to be a fringy to average catcher.”
The Razorbacks have concerns about their ability to hang on to Rortvedt. Drafted players have until July 15 to sign a contract.
Arkansas pitcher Zach Jackson and Razorbacks’ shortstop signee Cole Stobbe of Omaha (Neb.) Millard West were not among the 77 selections in the first two rounds of the draft.
Stobbe was ranked as the No. 47 player in the draft by MLB Pipeline, and Jackson was No. 66. Stobbe’s fall could have something to do with his asking price for a signing bonus and whether major league teams will be able to sign him, according to the MLB Network broadcast.