5 MLB Draft questions for Arkansas baseball, Dave Van Horn
FAYETTEVILLE — It’s MLB Draft week, and the future construction of the Arkansas baseball roster hangs in the balance.
The transfer portal is closed, and the high school recruiting class is finalized, but the Razorbacks could still get hit by some surprise attrition when the draft takes place July 11-12 in Philadelphia. It coincides with MLB All-Star Weekend, and its place on the calendar is a frustration for Dave Van Horn.
“Does anybody really care that the draft is during the baseball All Star game? Not really,” Van Horn said. “Do it some other time earlier. Help us, and I think the scouts all want it earlier. Their GMs want it earlier. I think it’s just the higher-ups think it’s cool, and I don’t really get it.”
Here are five key Arkansas-related questions ahead of the 2026 MLB Draft. Their answers could determine whether or not the Hogs are primed for another run to Omaha in 2027.
How many first-round picks for Arkansas baseball?
Last year, the Razorbacks set a program record four selections in the first round.
They won’t match that output this weekend, but there is an outside chance that the Hogs produce two first-round picks. Catcher Ryder Helfrick is a consensus top prospect and is projected to go inside the top-20 in recent mock drafts posted by MLB.com and The Athletic.
The other candidate is lefty Hunter Dietz. It felt like the 6-foot-6 Florida native pitched himself into being a first-round lock during a stellar redshirt sophomore season, but The Athletic reported on Monday that Dietz is falling down draft boards due to his “medicals.” Dietz pitched 1⅔ innings across his first two years on campus with a stress fracture in his ulna bone that required surgery.
How many draft-eligible transfers make it to campus?
Arkansas hasn’t shied away from taking players out of the portal who could sign professional contracts this month and never play for the Razorbacks.
Eight of the 15 offseason additions are draft-eligible this weekend. The biggest names to watch are RHP Michael Malki (Cal Baptist), infielder Dawson Bryce (Charlotte), outfielder AJ Evasco (Kansas State) and infielder Ben Cleary (Santa Clara).
Of those four, Malki looms large because Arkansas hasn’t added another pitcher like him through the portal. He went 11-0 with a 3.12 ERA in 2026 and projects as a weekend starter for Arkansas if he makes it to Fayetteville. Van Horn and his staff have done a great job recruiting depth in position players this offseason to survive some draft losses.
What does Carson Wiggins do?
We touched on this question in June, but the right-handed pitcher from Oklahoma has a fascinating decision to make this weekend.
Does he start his professional career and avoid any risk of deteriorating stock by returning to school for a redshirt sophomore season? Or, will Wiggins bypass the draft and try to become a top-10 pick as the Razorbacks’ ace in 2027? That’s the ceiling Arkansas coaches envision for the 6-foot-5 flamethrower who missed the 2026 season with an injury.
Wiggins did pop up in the first round of D1Baseball’s latest mock draft, going to the Philadelphia Phillies with the No. 36 pick. If that forecast comes to fruition this weekend, Wiggins’ career in Arkansas is likely finished.
What about the other draft-eligible players on the roster?
Some have obvious decisions ahead of them. Gabe Gaeckle, Ethan McElvain and Camden Kozeal will sign. Colin Fisher and Damian Ruiz probably will, too, but there are a slew of other Hogs who are true toss-ups.
Kuhio Aloy and Nolan Souza lead this group, but don’t forget about Tate McGuire and TJ Pompey. None of these four are ranked very highly among the consensus MLB Draft prospect rankings, and they could all return to Arkansas in 2027 while maintaining an extra year of leverage thanks to the new 5-for-5 eligibility rules.
In a recent press conference, Van Horn did not sound optimistic about Pompey and McGuire, but he and his staff to believe there’s a chance the Hawaiian duo plays another season inside Baum-Walker Stadium.
What’s in store for the two star signees?
Judah Ota and Jorvorskie Lane Jr. were the only two signees in Arkansas’ high school class to receive an invite to the MLB Draft combine. They were two of 140 high school prospects at the event, and both outfielders are big draft risks heading into the weekend.
Ota has indicated throughout his draft prep that he intends to play for Arkansas. Getting these young players to campus would be a huge win, but the two biggest draft victories from the high school ranks last year were Carson Brumbaugh and Joey Lorenzini. Both those players transferred from Arkansas after one season.
Jackson Fuller covers Arkansas football, basketball and baseball for the Southwest Times Record, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at jfuller@usatodayco.com or follow him @jacksonfuller16 on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: 5 MLB Draft questions for Arkansas baseball, Dave Van Horn