Excitement. Anticipation. The stuff dreams are made of.
This weekend will offer a lot of things for Peyton Stovall, but it probably won’t feature anxiety.
He's in the catbird seat. And he's worked hard to get there.
Sunday, the former Buccaneers star will gather at his Haughton home with a small group of family and friends. There, Team Stovall hopes to hear his name – sooner rather than later -- during the 2024 MLB First-Year Player Draft.
“I'm looking forward to it,” Stovall told the Shreveport-Bossier City Advocate on Thursday, 72 hours before the draft begins in Fort Worth, Texas. “It's a lifelong dream of mine and I'm super thankful to be in this position.”
After three seasons at the University at Arkansas, Stovall's draft rankings run from No. 77 (MLB.com) to No. 123 (Baseball America) by three major outlets (No. 119 by ESPN).
Former Arkansas and Haughton infielder Peyton Stovall is set to sign in contract with the Cincinnati Reds.
In 2021, the 5-foot-11, 200-pounder was projected as a first-rounder and ultimately entered college as the preseason SEC Freshman of the Year. It’s not as if his college career has been a disappointment. He totaled 20 home runs with the Razorbacks and his robust .340 batting average this season pushed his career average to .300.
“Stovall still has one of the prettier left-handed strokes around and is making more consistent hard contact to all fields than he did in his first two years with the Razorbacks,” MLB.com’s draft preview said. “He manages the strike zone well and has been more patient at the plate in 2024, doing a better job of waiting for pitches to drive. He hasn't quite grown into the average power once projected for him and might not be more than a 15-homer threat, though his pop does play from left-center to the right-field line. Stovall is an intelligent player who squeezes the most out of his fringy speed and arm strength.”
However, a couple of injuries (torn labrum in throwing shoulder, broken foot) during his college career may have tempered the outlook from the outsiders. That hasn’t stopped “about half” the major league organizations from showing interest in the second baseman.
“I’m just super optimistic; I'm looking forward to it,” Stovall said. “At this point, I've kind of done all that I can do. It's kind of out of my control, so I'm just super excited for the opportunity.”
After Arkansas was upset in an NCAA regional, Stovall returned home to decompress.
“I just got away from baseball, and was spending time with family playing a bunch of golf and hanging out with my friends. The normal stuff a 21-year-old would do,” Stovall said. “It's always fun to get out there with those guys I've grown up with my entire life. It was good to hang out with them, spend as much time as I can with lifetime friends before this draft stuff started up.
“After about a week or so I was like, ‘Alright it's time to get to work.’”
The trip back to Fayetteville, Ark., included “hitting, throwing, lifting -- staying in shape. If there was a game tomorrow, I could play.”
Stovall was back in Haughton on Wednesday.
“It’s been a good month for me,” he said.
Even if things don’t go as planned – on draft days or after, Stovall is sitting pretty.
“Stuff can always happen,” he said. “Having another year of college left is something that's an advantage for me. It’s a win-win situation. Hopefully I get to start my professional career, but if not, I get to go to one of the best universities in the country.”
What can the baseball team that invests in the 34th All-American in Arkansas history expect?
The initial answers – from Stovall and his high school coach, Glenn Maynor -- to that question included nothing about launch angle, box scores, career numbers or accolades.
“They get a team player; a guy not worried about stats,” Maynor said. “He’s a guy that everyone on the team will pull for.”
Stovall credits his parents, Matt and Leslie Stovall, for instilling his “team-first” approach.
“They taught me to work hard, how to care for others and respect others before myself,” Peyton said. “I'm super thankful for them and I truly believe they raised me the right way. I’m super close with them and so I'm super excited for them to be able to be a part of this journey as well.
Stovall was a two-sport standout with the Buccaneers, but the long-term focus was always baseball.
“My entire life, I’ve wanted to be a professional baseball player. I’ve worked so hard for that ever since I could walk and have a bat in my hand,” Stovall said. “But, honestly, football is probably my favorite sport. I love baseball, but you can't beat those Friday night lights.
“When smaller schools started to reach out to me in high schools for football, (former Haughton head coach) Jason Brotherton told them, ‘He’s a baseball guy,’ so it never really got to the point I needed to make a decision, but I cherished my time playing football for sure.”
Humility about stats was present on the gridiron, too. Stovall was once responsible for six touchdowns in a victory against Captain Shreve, but he’d rather talk about a significant tackle or a surprise and perfectly executed pooch punt.
“We had a really good team and it was super fun,” Stovall said about the matchup against the Gators. “I just remember playing free and hearing the crowd and feeling the atmosphere. If I go back to those days, I could stay here and get caught up in it all day.
“The punt, the tackle are a lot cooler to me than the six touchdowns.”
The MLB draft will take place Sunday through Tuesday during All-Star Week in the Metroplex. The draft will feature 20 rounds, including the first two rounds, compensatory rounds, competitive balance rounds and prospect promotion incentive selections on Sunday.
“The team that invests in me is going to get a great leader. They're going to get a guy who wants his teammates to do better than himself and he's more worried about winning than individual stats. A hard worker who loves the game and somebody who really wants to play in the big leagues one day.”
