By Otis Kirk
FAYETTEVILLE -- The 2023 MLB Draft started Sunday with the first two rounds and saw a current Razorbacks plus four signees taken.
Right-handed pitcher Jaxon Wiggins was taken in the second round with the No. 68-overall pick by the Chicago Cubs. Wiggins was the lone Razorback on the roster taken on opening day.
Wiggins was expected to headline the Razorbacks’ starting rotation before missing the entire 2023 season after suffering a torn ulnar collateral ligament that required Tommy John surgery. In his Arkansas career, the Roland, Okla., native appeared in 34 games with 19 starts and recorded a 9-4 record with a 6.17 ERA and 110 strikeouts in 89 innings. The slot value for that draft spot is $1.1 million.
The first Razorback signee to be taken was Trinity (Fla.) Mitchell third baseman Aiden Miller. He went to the Philadelphia Phillies at No. 27 in Round 1. He missed most of his senior season due to a broken hammate bone. The 27th pick has a slot value of $2.97 million per MLB Pipeline.
He hit .403 with three home runs, 16 RBI’s, two doubles, and one triple as a junior and was also on the USA 18 under team where he hit .478 (11 of 23) with two home runs, eight RBI’s, and 11 hits in nine games on a gold medal-winning squad.4
The Los Angeles Dodgers took Atascocita (Texas) outfielder Kendall George with the No. 36 pick. George was Arkansas' top outfielder signee. George hit .455 with three homers, 34 RBIs and 32 steals this season and only struck out 8 times. The slot value for the 36th pick is $2,362,700 million.
Shortstop Nazzan Zanetello of St. Louis (Mo.) Christian Brothers College High School was taken by the Boston Red Sox with the 50th overall pick. He .421 with 9 home runs, 33 RBIs and 21 steals this season as a senior and had a .399 average with 15 homers and 92 RBIs during his three-year CBC career.
Shortstop Walker Martin of Eaton, Colo., was taken by the San Francisco Giants in the second round with the 52nd overall pick. Martin was named the Gatorade Player of the Year after hitting .633 (50 of 79) and leading the nation with 20 homers while having 75 RBIs, 11 doubles and 60 runs scored during his senior season. The 52nd pick of the draft has a slot value of $1,620,800 million.
The Razorbacks did get some good news when Wentzville (Mo.) Timberland left hander Adam Hachman, who had Tommy John surgery this spring, withdrew his name from the 2023 Major League Baseball Draft per Baseball America’s Carlos Collazo. Hachman was rated as the 94th-best prospect by Baseball America.