FAYETTEVILLE — Five Razorbacks were selected on Day 2 of the 2018 MLB Draft.
Bryant, Ark., native Blaine Knight didn’t wait long to hear his name called on Tuesday. The right-hander was taken by the Baltimore Orioles with the 87th pick in the draft.
All indications are that Knight will sign before the July 6 deadline and forego his final year with the Razorbacks. Knight's slot value is estimated at $663,200. He was the second pitcher taken by the Orioles. Baltimore also selected Grayson Rodriguez out of Central Heights (Texas) High School with the 11th overall pick on Monday.
Knight is the only pitcher in Division I baseball with an 11-0 record this season, and he again dazzled in the NCAA Fayetteville Regional in a 10-2 win against Oral Roberts last Friday. Knight went eight innings, matching a career high, allowed three hits, two earned runs and walked one.
It marked his eighth start this season of six-plus innings pitched and one walk or less.
Prior to the Fayetteville regional, Knight earned All-America honors from Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball, and became the 42nd All-American in program history, living up to his preseason All-America honors.
Knight was projected to be a high-round selection last June as a draft-eligible sophomore, but fell to the 29th round because of a high asking price for a signing bonus.
Last year’s draft didn't begin until after the Razorbacks lost their regional championship game against Missouri State at Baum Stadium. Knight, who started a loss to Missouri State that sent Arkansas into the loser's bracket two days earlier, asked to pitch out of the bullpen that night, thinking it would be his final college game at home.
Since announcing his return to Arkansas, Knight’s draft stock soared while getting the upper hand in a number of pitching matchups with other projected high draft choices, including Auburn’s Casey Mize, who was chosen as the No. 1 pick in the draft by the Detroit Tigers.
He also secured wins in matchups against Florida’s Brady Singer and Jackson Kowar as well as Ole Miss’ Ryan Rollison. Knight holds a 2.74 ERA in 16 starts this season and has a 4-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio while holding opponents to a .224 average against.
Knight is expected to make at least one more start in his Arkansas career as the Razorbacks open super regional play against South Carolina this weekend at Baum Stadium.
Outfielder Eric Cole was also taken early on Tuesday, and became the second current Razorback chosen. Cole, hitting .328 with 13 home runs and 47 RBI as a junior, was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the fourth round. He is the second outfielder taken by the Royals. His slot value is estimated at $451,200.
Cole earned All-SEC honors last month after hitting .346 over 30 league games. For his Arkansas career, he is batting .299 with 166 hits and 79 RBI.
Arkansas catcher Grant Koch was later drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the fifth round with the 144th overall pick. Koch is batting .250 entering super regional play with seven home runs and 34 RBI. He has thrown out seven of 16 would-be basestealers this season.
Koch, a Fayetteville native, is the first Arkansas catcher taken since James McCann was selected in the second round of the 2011 draft. Koch did not commit an error in SEC play this season, and has only one in 53 games this season.
Koch, whose slot value is estimated at $364,600, is the only catcher drafted by the Pirates through 10 rounds.
Razorbacks shortstop Jax Biggers' name was called by the Texas Rangers on Tuesday. The Rangers selected the Missouri City, Texas, native with the 239th overall pick in the eighth round. Biggers is the 13th shortstop in school history to be taken in the draft and the first since Michael Bernal was selected by the Giants in 2016.
His selection marked the second consecutive year in which the Razorbacks have had four or more players drafted in the first 10 rounds. His slot value is estimated at $166,400. He was one of three shortstops taken by the Rangers on Tuesday.
Second baseman Carson Shaddy was Arkansas' final selection of the day. The senior was taken with the 311th pick in the 10th round by the Washington Nationals, which comes with an estimated slot value of $136,900.