Update 6-27-2025
MLB Draft stuff, another case of "Bad Luck," and a last shot at the "June Mystery Photo," with BIG hints.
Wealthy, taking a chance, or staying in school…
The 2025 MLB Draft is scheduled for July 13-14 in Atlanta. Below is “A” list of the Draft-eligible Razorbacks. This list will not be “THE” list until the dust settles. Draft-eligible college players who are not chosen in the draft will have a decision to make, as will those guys who realize the potential of a college degree compared to a few thousand dollars and some long bus rides.
I have an opinion on that decision. If you want to look at a former professional player who earned a degree along the way, revisit the story of Coach Chris Curry in this week’s Only in Arkansas.
By the way, Only in Arkansas is the best source for all things Arkansas. The online magazine is updated several times a week and features travel destinations, dining, special events, and profiles of notable personalities in the Natural State. Make it one of your daily stops.
Link to today’s Only in Arkansas
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MLB Draft - Arkansas Razorbacks working list: (Expect changes )
Draft Eligible:
Wehiwa Aloy, Landon Beidelschies, Ben Bybee, Parker Coil, Charles Davalan, Cooper Dossett, Christian Foutch, Brent Iredale, Aiden Jimenez, Reese Robinett, Zach Root, Justin Thomas Jr., Gage Wood
Returning:
Kuhio Aloy, junior, Brenton Clark, redshirt freshman, Hunter Dietz, redshirt sophomore, Steele Eaves, sophomore, Colin Fisher, junior, Gabe Gaeckle, junior, Cole Gibler, sophomore, Ryder Helfrick, junior, Tyler Holland, redshirt freshman, Cam Kozeal, junior, Tate McGuire, junior, Nolan Souza, junior, Carson Wiggins, sophomore, Carson Willis, redshirt freshman
By the way, here are the slot values for round one:
Nationals $11,075,900
Angels $10,252,700
Mariners $9,504,400
Rockies $8,770,900
Cardinals $8,134,800
Pirates $7,558,600
Marlins $7,149,900
Blue Jays $6,813,600
Reds $6,513,800
White Sox $6,238,400
Athletics $5,985,100
Rangers $5,746,800
Giants $5,524,300
Rays $5,313,100
Red Sox $5,114,200
Twins $4,929,600
Cubs $4,750,800
D-Backs $4,581,900
Orioles $4,420,900
Brewers $4,268,100
Astros $4,122,500
Braves $3,983,900
Royals $3,852,100
Tigers $3,726,300
Padres $3,606,600
Phillies $3,492,200
Guardians $3,382,600
Royals $3,282,200
D-backs $3,191,100
Orioles $3,113,300
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More Bad Luck: Charles Alton “Arky” Biggs
Was it bad luck or having another “Arky” in the Pirates organization that kept Arky Biggs from a big league career?
Arky Biggs played in 2059 professional baseball games without appearing in a single major league game. Biggs is first in pro games played among Arkansans who never reached the major leagues.
His games-played total without reaching the big leagues is almost 300 more than R. C. Otey, beloved Arkansas Travelers star and later grounds superintendent. Although Otey never reached the show, his story inspired his namesake, “Otey the Possum,” who can still be seen at Dickey Stephens Park. Otey is somewhat famous locally, but Arky Biggs’ story is a casualty of bad luck.
In the final weeks of the 1937 season, while Pittsburgh’s Joseph Floyd Vaughan was proving to be the best shortstop in the big leagues, the Pirates had an up-and-coming young shortstop with the coincidental nickname Arky Biggs.
Biggs was an All-Star in the Class B South Atlantic League (SALLY League). He had batted .313 in the 1936 season in Class C and driven in 107 runs. A promotion to Savannah for the 1937 season had not slowed down his obvious ascension toward the majors. He was hitting about .285 going into September and leading the team in runs scored and stolen bases.
There was one obvious problem with Biggs’ place in the Pirates organization. The player holding down his position with the big-league Pirates was the best shortstop in the major leagues.
Despite the obstacle that the Pirates did not need a new shortstop, early in September, Arky Biggs got the letter. He was to report to the Pirates when his season ended in Savannah. The Arkansas Gazette announced on September 7 that “another Faulkner County baseball player is headed for the big leagues.” He would report when his season was over.
In an ironic inconvenience that would, in hindsight, become a tragedy, Biggs’ team not only won the league playoff but, as SALLY League Champs, the Senators were required to play in something called the “Championship of the South” against the winner of the Class B Southeastern League.
When Savannah was finally eliminated in late September, the Pirates’ season was a weekend from being over. Biggs never made the trip. Of course, a player with his potential would surely get another shot soon. The second call never came.
After ten outstanding years in Pittsburgh, Arky Vaughan was traded to the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1941. In the previous season, injuries had limited Vaughan to 106 games, but he had led the team in batting average with an excellent .318 mark. Local sportswriter Fred Lieb lamented, “Many of the Pirate faithful shook their heads. They didn’t want to see Arky get away.”
Arky made the All-Star team for the ninth consecutive time in 1942. This time as a Brooklyn Dodger. The following year, he led the National League in Runs Scored and Stolen Bases. Vaughn sat out the next three years over a disagreement with manager Leo Durocher, before returning for two final seasons in the big leagues. In the 1947 and 1948 seasons, he played alongside Jackie Robinson during one of baseball’s most historic periods. Robinson would later recall, “He was one of the fellows who went out of his way to be nice to me when I came in here as a rookie. Believe me, I needed it. He was a fine fellow.
Arky Vaughan played one more minor league season in 1949 with the San Francisco Seals in the Pacific Coast League. Playing in the PCL allowed him to be near his home and his favorite Northern California fishing locations. Unlike many players who remain near the game after retirement, Arky Vaughan returned to his home in Northern California and was seldom seen around pro baseball events.
Arky Biggs remained in the minors for 13 more seasons. He would never again receive an invitation to the show. In the summer of 1951, Biggs broke his arm in a pileup at second base. He returned to his Greenbrier farm, where he spent the remainder of his life.
Biggs played in 2,058 professional games. The most games played by an Arkansas-born player who did not appear in a single big-league game. Arky Biggs died in Greenbrier in 1981. His place at the top of the list of Arkansans who never played a major league game is very likely secure.
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June 2025 Mystery Photo
Okay, another month and another strike out on the Mystery Photo of the Month?
Everything you need to know to be an accomplished “Googler” and identify the player above can be found in this photo. He never played for the team known for the “Birds on the Bat.” He never won a Gold Glove. He never played a big-league game, but he was on a pennant-winning team.
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