The thing about waiting until a senior year to enter the MLB Draft is that whatever team selects a player likely won’t offer him the value for where he’s selected.
With few other options, former Arkansas outfielder Jared Wegner found himself in such a position this week, as he inked a deal with the New York Yankees on Thursday.
Wegner, a ninth-round selection, signed for $72,000. The slot value for where he was chosen was $173,000. Still, Wegner is officially a professional outfielder.
He spent just one season at Arkansas after transferring from Creighton. He slashed .313/.457/.673 for the season in 42 games. Those numbers dropped during SEC play, of which he missed about half because of injury, to .245/.403/.491.
All three of Arkansas’ starting outfielders in 2023 were taken in the draft after centerfielder Tavian Josenberger went first and Jace Bohrofen followed.
[lawrence-auto-related count=1]