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Trevor Stephan’s gamble paid off.

The right-handed pitcher from Texas was selected by the New York Yankees in the third round and with the 92nd overall pick of the 2017 MLB Draft on Tuesday.

That pick is valued at $588,700, according to MLB.com.

He could have easily taken the money and entered the professional ranks when the Boston Red Sox took him in the 18th round of last year’s MLB Draft out of Hill College.

Instead, Stephan opted to come to Arkansas. The move benefitted both sides, as he became part of a dynamic 1-2 punch – alongside Blaine Knight – with the Razorbacks and shot up draft boards.

A raw talent who just finished his third season as a pitcher (he was an infielder in high school), Stephan went 6-3 with a 2.87 ERA in his first year in the SEC. He also had 120 strikeouts and only 20 walks in 91 innings.

His 120 strikeouts are the fifth most in a single season in UA history. He was also one of three pitchers in the country to rank in the top 20 in strikeouts per nine innings (14th – 11.87) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (t-18th – 6.0).

Stephan is the first Arkansas player off the board in the 2017 MLB Draft, making it eight straight years the Razorbacks have had at least one player taken in the top three rounds.

He joins junior-college signee Daniel Tillo as the only players with ties to the Razorbacks picked so far. Several other players and signees are expected to join them. The draft will go through the 10th round Tuesday and then conclude with the final 30 rounds beginning at 11 a.m. Wednesday.

Stay tuned to Hawgs247 for updates on players with Arkansas ties.

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