Wicklander, Bishop sign pro contracts

Patrick Wicklander a junior left-hander, turned into a reliable No. 1 starter on a pitching rotation that varied during the season for the Razorbacks. He was 7-1 with a 2.09 ERA in 772/3 innings with 85 strikeouts.
(NWA Democrat-Gazette/Andy Shupe)
Patrick Wicklander a junior left-hander, turned into a reliable No. 1 starter on a pitching rotation that varied during the season for the Razorbacks. He was 7-1 with a 2.09 ERA in 772/3 innings with 85 strikeouts. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Andy Shupe)

FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas baseball's No. 1 starting pitcher in 2021 and a high school signee are the latest players with Razorback ties to sign professional deals after the MLB Draft.

Left-handed pitcher Patrick Wicklander signed with the Tampa Bay Rays for $147,500, according to MLB.com writer Jim Callis. The slot value for the 251st overall pick is $163,400.

Wicklander finished 7-1 with a 2.09 ERA last season.

Braylon Bishop, an outfielder signee from Texarkana, also signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday for $268,700. He was selected in the 14th round of the draft.

Bishop was ranked as the Razorbacks' third-best prospect by Baseball America and 88th overall. He committed to Arkansas on Dec. 16, 2017, when he was 15.

Right-handed pitcher Elijah Trest, a 19th-round pick of the Colorado Rockies, is the only Razorback taken in this year's draft who has not signed a deal.

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