Tag: Hogs in the MLB

Oakland A’s sign former Hogs righty Mark Adamiak

Former Hogs pitcher Mark Adamiak was one of two remaining ex-Arkansas players yet to sign.

Mark Adamiak becomes the latest Hog to sign his first professional contract in the MLB.

Adamiak went to the Oakland Athletics in the 15th round of the 2022 MLB Draft, a part of nine Razorbacks selected. During the MLB Draft League, Adamiak hit 97 miles-per-hour on the gun with his fastball and a consistent slider in the mid-80s.

 

The A’s signed the 21-year-old for $125k with no slot value.

The redshirt sophomore didn’t play any games in 2022 due to injury. In his freshman year, he appeared in 11 games for the Razorback, claiming two wins and 20 strikeouts in 15 innings.

The only Razorback remaining to sign after last week’s draft is third baseman Cayden Wallace, who was drafted 49th overall by the Kansas City Royals in the second round.

The deadline for drafted players to sign is Aug. 1.

Jalen Battles Signs With Tampa Bay Rays

Expect to see Jalen Battles’ glove in The Show in a few years after the Arkansas shortstop signed with the Rays.

Jalen Battles will be taking his defensive talents to the west coast of Florida, officially signing with the Tampa Bay Rays.

Battles has been touted as one of the best defensive prospects heading into the MLB Draft. He was drafted in the 5th round, 164th overall by the Rays, in a draft class that includes two other shortstops.

Battles’ journey to the majors is honest, being a junior-college product before Arkansas. The Philadelphia Phillies drafted Battles in 2019, but he elected to return to college.

As a Razorback, Battles had a .279 career batting average and 122 career starts at shortstop. Alongside Robert Moore, who signed with the Milwaukee Brewers, he created the best double-play duo in college baseball.

Movin on’ up: Kjerstad receives promotion to High-A

It did not take long for Heston Kjerstad to make an impression, as he is receiving a promotion just 22 games into his professional career.

[autotag]Heston Kjerstad[/autotag] is having a memorable welcome back to the game he loves.

Since being sidelined due to a mix of the COVID-19 pandemic, a heart condition, and a hamstring injury through the first two seasons of his professional career, the former Razorback is finally getting a chance to prove his worth in the Baltimore Orioles organization. He is doing so at a high pace by receiving a promotion just one month after making his professional debut.

The Orioles announced Monday that Kjerstad has been promoted from Single-A Delmarva to High-A Aberdeen, and is set to suit up for the Ironbirds on Tuesday night when they face Jersey Shore for a six-game series.

Kjerstad says that he welcomes the challenge of moving up another level.

“I’m just ready for a new challenge, another level of play, and just continuing doing what I’ve been doing and keep enjoying baseball,” Kjerstad said. “There are a lot of great players. It’s unreal. The guys I was facing in Low-A, there were numerous guys throwing 98 with unreal changeups and everything. Everybody can play and everybody can compete, so you’ve got to be ready every day.”

Kjerstad played in 22 games for the Delmarva Shorebirds, where he batted .463 with two home runs and 17 RBI in 80 plate appearances.

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Evan Lee makes Major League debut with Washington Nationals

Lee, who played for the Razorbacks during the 2017 and 2018 seasons, made his first MLB start on Wednesday.

A former two-way player for Arkansas baseball made his major league debut on Wednesday.

[autotag]Evan Lee[/autotag], who played for the Razorbacks during the 2017 and 2018 seasons, started his first Major League Baseball games on Tuesday for the Washington Nationals.

In the 5-0 loss to the National League Eastern Division-leading New York Mets, Lee struck out two batters while allowing three walks, two earned runs, and four hits in 3.2 innings of work, and unfortunately took the loss.

To prepare for his first start in the Majors, Lee started in seven games between the Nationals’ double-A and triple-A affiliates, the Harrisburg Senators and Rochester Red Wings. During his season in the minors, Lee struck out 37 batters in 30.0 innings while holding an ERA of 3.60.

As a two-way player for Arkansas in two seasons, Lee struck out 31 batters in 33 total innings. He also hit three home runs and drove in 23 runs at the plate in 92 at-bats.

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