Arkansas baseball roster: Who will go pro, who could return for 2023 season
The 2022 Arkansas baseball season is over, and the Razorbacks have plenty of players who could be selected in this year's MLB draft.
But not every player chosen will leave.Those picked in the late rounds will have a decision to make.
Here's a look at which Arkansas baseball players will leave and who could stay for the 2023 season.
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Who is out of eligibility?
The following players are out of NCAA eligibility. Whether they get drafted or not, they won't return.
Isaac Bracken, P
Chris Lanzilli, OF
Kole Ramage, P
Michael Turner, C
Zebulon Vermillion, P
Braydon Webb, OF
Who is likely to go pro?
College players are eligible for the MLB draft once they are 21 years old or have been enrolled for three years at a four-year college. Unlike the NBA and NFL, Major League Baseball doesn't require players to declare for the draft. Draftees can decide whether to sign or return to school after being selected.
Arkansas has plenty of eligible players who are likely to be taken in the 20-round draft. But who will actually go? The following players appear most likely to sign once drafted.
Jalen Battles, INF
Robert Moore, INF
Connor Noland, P
Peyton Pallette, P
Brady Slavens, INF
Evan Taylor, P
Cayden Wallace, INF
Moore, Pallette and Wallace will likely be drafted so high that signing will be the best option. Pallette was a projected first-round pick before suffering a pre-season injury that required Tommy John surgery and sidelined him for the 2022 season.
Battles, Slavens, Taylor and Noland can technically return for one more year of eligibility. But as seniors this past year, they would lose leverage in contract negotiations if they chose to come back to college, and would thus lose money if drafted in 2023.
Whose future at Arkansas is uncertain?
The following players might be drafted, and whether they would stay with the Razorbacks isn't clear.
Zack Gregory, OF
Will McEntire, P
Zack Morris, P
Elijah Trest, P
McEntire and Morris could be selected in the later rounds. Unlike their senior counterparts, the two pitchers have multiple years of NCAA eligibility remaining, so they wouldn't necessarily lose money by waiting to go pro.
Trest was a senior this season, but he could come back for an extra year due to the pandemic.
Gregory will be a redshirt senior in 2023. He isn't likely to be drafted and could come back. But after a year of offensive struggles, he could do what infielder Jacob Nesbit did last year and leave baseball after getting his degree.
Christina Long covers the Arkansas Razorbacks. You can email her at clong@swtimes.com or follow her on Twitter @christinalong00.
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Arkansas baseball roster: Who will go pro, who could return for 2023
