Smith nets MLB Draft LHP record-setting $8 million bonus as 4 Razorbacks ink contracts Monday

BY DUDLEY E. DAWSON

FAYETTEVILLE – Former Arkansas pitching ace Hagen Smith continued to make history on a Monday when four former Razorback baseball players signed professional contracts.

Smith got the largest signing bonus ever for a left handed pitcher in Major League Baseball Draft history when he agreed to terms on an $8 million dollar deal with the Chicago White Sox Monday.

The White Sox took Smith with the fifth overall selection in the draft in a spot that had a slot value of $7.76 million.

Smith’s signing bonus eclipses the $7 million Tampa Bay signed lefty Brendan McKay for in 2017.

That $8 million figure also sets a record for a Razorback, breaking the $5.2 million awarded Heston Kjerstad, who was taken second by the Baltimore Orioles in the 2020 MLB Draft.

Smith’s signing means all of the top five picks in the draft hafe now signed with top pick Travis Banzana, Chase Burns, Charlie Condon and fourth pick Travis all signing as well.

Top pick Bazzana got $8.95 million from Cleveland while No. 2 Burns and No. 3 Condon both got record-setting $9.25 million bonuses from Cincinnati and Colorado, respectively.

Oakland agreed to terms with No. 4 pick Nick Kurtz, a former Wake Forest first baseman that signed for $7 million on Monday.

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The other Razorback signings announced by MLB.com Jim on Monday were second baserman Peyton Stovall (Cincinnati, $625,000), pitcher Jake Faherty (Miami, $200,000) and first baseman Ben McLaughlin (Arizona, $75,000).

Four other Arkansas players were drafted in pitcher Mason Molina (Milwaukee, 7th round) third baseman Jared Sprague-Lott (Oakland, 9th round), catcher Hudson White (Boston, 9th round) and pitcher Brady Tygart (Boston, 12th round).

The draftees have until Aug. 1 at 4 p.m. CST to sign deals with their MLB teams.

The Los Angeles Angles inked undrafted Razorback pitcher Stone Hewlett to a free agent deal on Wednesday, a day after the draft ended.

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The Razorbacks had two of their signees taken in the draft in Omaha (Neb.) Millard West shortstop Tyson Lewis and outfielder Eli Lovich (6-4, 175) of Overland Park (Kan.) Blue Valley West.

Lewis was taken by Cincinnati in the second round with the 51st overall pick ($1.8 million slot value) while the Chicago Cubs chose Lovich in the 11th round with the 332nd selection.

Lewis acknowledged after being drafted that he was planning on signing with the Reds instead of playing collegiately.

The Cubs hope to sign Lovich per Dan Kantrovich, Chicago’s Vice President of Scouting.

“I don’t want to get too far out in front of myself because we still have to go through the physical process,” Kantrovitz said on the latest Cubs Weekly Podcast. “He was committed to Arkansas, which is a top tier SEC school. So it’s gonna be a significant buyout – that’s probably a fair expectation.

“He had options so at that point, it just comes down to did we save enough? Did we have enough money going into Day 3 to buy him out of Arkansas? And I think the answer is yes.”

Lovich, the younger brother of former Arkansas outfielder Ross Lovich and current Missouri first baseman Jackson Lovich, was named the Kansas Prep Baseball Player of the Year.

Photo by John D. James