MLB Draft Rewind: 2011
May 28, 2020
After losing eight players to the MLB Draft, including four future big leaguers, many saw the 2011 season as a rebuilding year for head coach Dave Van Horn and the Razorback baseball team. They were mistaken.
The Hogs started the year with back-to-back sweeps to begin the year and a 12-1 overall beginning to the campaign. Despite dropping their first three conference series, the Razorbacks rallied to four matchups against SEC opponents, claiming the top spot in the SEC Western Division for the fourth time in school history.
After posting a 38-20 overall record through the SEC Tournament, the Razorbacks were sent to the NCAA Tempe Regional hosted by Arizona State. Arkansas dropped its opening game of the regional, then rallied to reach the regional championship game before eventually falling to the Sun Devils.
Arkansas finished the season with a 40-22 record and closed the season ranked in the top 25 of every major poll with an RPI of 14.
The 2011 draft featured six draft picks, including a future MLB catcher.
2011 MLB DRAFT
James McCann (C) – Detroit Tigers – 2nd Round (76)
Collin Kuhn (OF) – Chicago White Sox – 17th Round (531)
Trent Daniel (LHP) – Detroit Tigers – 23rd Round (707)
Kyle Robinson (OF) – Chicago White Sox – 28th Round (861)
Jarrod McKinney (OF) – Houston Astros – 31st Round (940)
Geoffrey Davenport (LHP) – Cleveland Indians – 43rd Round (1,298)
McCann, from Santa Barbara, California, played three years behind the plate for the Razorbacks from 2009-11, coming to Arkansas after getting selected in the 31st round of the 2008 draft. He got better each year of his collegiate career, tallying 31 hits in 49 games as a freshman, followed by 61 in 59 games, along with 34 RBIs and 32 runs as a sophomore in 2010. His junior year featured a .306 clip at the plate with 64 knocks, 14 doubles, a triple and six homers, with 38 RBIs and 35 runs in 61 games, jumping up to a second-round pick by the Tigers. He spent eight years with the club, moving up to the Bigs by year four, playing in nine games. In 2015, he moved into the starting role, hitting .264 in his first full season over 114 games, racking up 106 hits, 18 doubles, five triples and seven homers, to go with 41 RBIs and 32 runs scored. After a 76-hit season in 2016, McCann increased his offensive output in each of the next three years, tallying 89 (2017), 94 (2018) and 120 (2019) hits over that span, going over the 100-hit mark in 2019 with a new club, the Chicago White Sox. He’ll be reunited with former Arkansas teammate Dallas Keuchel when the 2020 season picks up.
Kuhn returned to Arkansas for the 2011 season, putting together a .282 average as a junior, tallying 58 hits, 13 doubles, two triples and seven homers, along with 41 RBIs and 44 runs scored. He’d go in the 17th round to the White Sox this time, and would play two years in the system in rookie league and Single-A Kannapolis. He finished his pro career with 57 hits, 20 doubles and seven homers, along with 42 RBIs and 46 runs in 86 games.
Daniel, an Arkansan from Bryant, pitched three years for the Razorbacks from 2011-13, coming to the Hill after two years at Arkansas-Fort Smith. He made 26 appearances in 2011, all in relief, going 2-0 with four saves for a 2.91 ERA, striking out 48 in 43.1 innings. Daniel would get drafted in the 23rd round by the Tigers, but elected to return to campus for his final two years of college ball…
Robinson, from Boca Raton, Florida, was another transfer from Indian River State College, playing for the Hogs for 2010-11. In six games in 2010, he posted six hits, two doubles, five RBIs and nine runs. He saw extended playing time as a senior in 2011, recording 61 hits in 60 games, including nine doubles, four triples and 10 homers, as well as 49 RBIs and 38 runs scored. He would go on to play three years in the White Sox organization in rookie and Single-A Kannapolis, producing 119 hits in 126 games, with 75 runs driven in. Robinson finished his pro career with two-and-a-half seasons in Independent ball, hitting .318 with 214 hits, 52 doubles, a triple and 24 homers, as well as 133 RBIs and 99 runs scored in 181 games.
McKinney, a native of Hughes Springs, Texas, patrolled the outfield for the Hogs from 2009-11. He played in 55 games his first two years, combining for 24 hits, 10 RBIs and 26 runs scored. He nearly doubled his two-year total as a junior in 2011, playing in 54 games, racking up 50 hits, 10 doubles, three triples and two homers, along with 20 RBIs and 24 runs scored for a .301 batting average. He’d play two years for the Astros organization, seeing 83 games total, recording 58 hits during his time in pro ball.
Davenport, from Fort Worth, Texas, pitched for the Razorbacks, mostly in relief, from 2009-11. He made four appearances in 2009 as a freshman, earning one save. He saw his most action as a sophomore, going 2-2 in 26 games, three starts, with 46 strikeouts in 39.2 innings of work. In six games in 2011, he put together a 3-1 record, starting three more games, for a 4.95 ERA. He moved on to two years of pro ball in 2012, pitching in 22 games, with eight starts, going 3-4 with a 3.15 earned run average, punching out 43 during his time as a professional pitcher.
On May 29, we’ll take a look at the 2012 draft, which featured eight Arkansas draft picks and another big leaguer player.
