Arkansas junior second baseman Peyton Stovall is the second Razorback off the board in the 2024 MLB Draft, as he was selected 117th overall in the fourth round by the Cincinnati Reds on Monday.
He joins Diamond Hog left-hander Hagen Smith as draft selections so far, as Smith was drafted fifth overall by the Chicago White Sox in the first round Sunday. The slot value for Stovall is approximately $618,800.
A Second Team All-SEC member and ABCA/Rawlings Third Team All-American, Stovall overcame a broken foot in the preseason that left him out until March 9. He finished the year with a career-high .340/.409/.535 slash line along with 39 runs, 68 hits, 12 doubles, nine home runs and 38 RBIs.
Coming out of high school, Stovall was ranked as the No. 47 overall player in the class of 2021 by Perfect Game and was viewed as a first-round selection in the MLB Draft. Projected as high as No. 29 before opting out of the draft, Stovall spurned life-changing money ($2.42 million slot-value at the time) to join the Razorbacks.
The Louisiana native — nicknamed "Stove" — was one of Arkansas' best hitters in SEC play during the 2024 season. Across 30 games, he was just behind Hudson White (.330 BA) for the team lead with a .315 batting average. The next closest was utility Peyton Holt, who had a .281 batting average.
"I think Peyton had a great year offensively," head coach Dave Van Horn said on June 26. "I mean, he did all of his hitting from almost conference on. He didn’t get a lot of the preseason stuff. A lot of times guys can build up their averages a little bit early. Now, we played some teams, especially down in Texas, but… He did a great job.
"I think he hit around .340, played outstanding second base. Arm’s still not 100% back and, again, he was still learning how to play second base. His better days are in front of him. I think he’s going to be a good draft and when he gets older, stronger, maybe really healthy, he could play for a long time."
The Razorbacks have now had at least one affiliated player taken in every MLB Draft since 1975. Arkansas’ streak of 50 years is tied with Auburn - assuming it has a player drafted - for the second longest active streak in the SEC.
