MLB Draft Rewind: 2016
June 6, 2020
The 2016 featured a string of bad luck for the Razorbacks, who started out a promising 8-0 coming off of the 2015 World Series squad and a 15-3 mark before heading into conference play.
Arkansas would finish with its worst record under head coach Dave Van Horn, but would be the last before one of the best eras in Razorback baseball history.
The 2016 Draft featured six Razorbacks drafted for the second time in three years.
2016 MLB DRAFT
Zach Jackson (RHP) – Toronto Blue Jays – 3rd Round (102)
Clark Eagan (OF) – Pittsburgh Pirates – 9th Round (285)
Dominic Taccolini (RHP) – Toronto Blue Jays – 16th Round (492)
Michael Bernal (SS) – San Francisco Giants – 29th Round (876)
Doug Willey (RHP) – Los Angeles Angels – 32nd Round (966)
James Teague (RHP) – Baltimore Orioles – 37th Round (1,111)
Jackson, from Berryhill, Oklahoma, played three years for the Razorbacks from 2014-16, making 69 appearances on the mound, starting 10. He pitched in 24 games as a freshman, with two starts, working a 2.53 ERA with two wins and two saves, striking out 42 over 42.2 innings. His sophomore season was his best as a collegian, going 5-1 with nine saves in 27 outings, three starts, with a 2.10 earned run average and 89 K’s over 60 frames. One of the top moments for the 2015 First Team All-SEC honoree was retiring 11 straight with a one-run lead at the Fayetteville Super Regional to punch Arkansas’ ticket to the College World Series. In 2016, Jackson recorded three wins and four saves in 18 games, five starts, including a complete game, posting 66 strikeouts over 53.0 innings. Jackson has played four years of pro ball in the Toronto organization, working his way up to Triple-A Buffalo in 2019. Last season was one of his best as a Pro Hog, going 9-0 with one save in 46 appearances, all in relief, putting together a 3.97 ERA over 68 innings, striking out 68. It was the most he has pitched in the minors thus far, totaling 145 games and 234 strikeouts in 199.2 pro innings in four years.
Eagan, a native of Appleton, Wisconsin, spent three seasons with the Hogs in the outfield (2014-16). He hit .301 as a freshman, playing in 46 games, racking up 37 hits, 12 RBIs and 26 runs over the course of the year. He saw 60 games in 2015, producing 66 hits, 13 doubles, four triples and two homers to go with 31 RBIs and 45 runs scored in Arkansas’ College World Series year. Eagan tallied 67 hits a year later, 17 for extra bases with seven home runs, a career-high, as well as 37 RBIs and 37 runs for a .298 clip at the plate over 55 games. He would go on to play two years of pro ball in the Pittsburgh system, totaling 149 games, 145 knocks, 28 doubles, seven triples and eight homers, as well as 75 runs driven in and 75 scored for a pro average of .265.
Taccolini, from Sugar Land, Texas, was a rare four-year guy for the Razorbacks, pitching for Arkansas from 2014-17. He appeared in 17 games as a freshman, starting three, putting together a 2-0 record with a 4.94 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 31 innings. He moved into the starting role in 2015, as 13 of his 17 outings were starts, going 6-4 with two saves and a 4.32 clip in 77 frames, punching out 67. He added 13 more starts in 15 games in 2016, going 5-5, producing 61 K’s and in 72 innings. He was selected in the 16th round of the 2016 draft and elected to return to Arkansas for his senior year…
Bernal, another Texan from El Paso, spent his first year of college ball at New Mexico JC, before heading to the Hill for the 2014-16 campaigns. As a redshirt-sophomore, he recorded 45 hits in 60 games, followed by 47 in 2015 and 55 in 2016, putting together a total of 147 in 170 games at Arkansas, with 85 RBIs and 90 runs scored. He has played four years of pro ball, the first two in the San Francisco organization before spending the last two in the Mexican League with the Tijuana Toros (2018) and Leon Bravos (2018-19). He has 141 knocks to his name, 36 doubles, seven triples and eight homers in pro ball, with 79 RBIs and 75 runs scored.
Willey, from Shelburne, New Hampshire, was a senior transfer to the Hogs after four years at Franklin Pierce University in Rindge, N.H. He pitched in 2016 for the Razorbacks, totaling 26 games and 29 strikeouts over 28.1 innings, winning one contest and saving three with a 3.49 ERA. He went on to play the rest of 2016 in pro ball for the Orem Owlz in LA’s rookie league, appearing in 17 games before calling it quits.
Teague, a native of Bartlesville, Oklahoma, pitched three years for the Razorbacks (2014-16) before heading off to pro ball. As a freshman, he appeared in eight games, starting one, producing a 1-0 record with 11 strikeouts in 16.2 innings of work. He started 10-of-23 games in 2015, winning six while earning two saves, striking out 49 for a 3.36 earned run average. Teague was used primarily as a reliever in 2016, starting only one game, picking up three wins and 30 strikeouts over 30.1 frames. He has played three years of pro ball, last playing with the Frederick Keys in 2018. He has six wins and 13 saves in 54 relief outings, striking out 80 in 71.1 innings for a 4.18 ERA.
On June 7, we’ll take a look at the 2017 draft, which featured six draft picks.
