Wills Maginnis’s path to Fayetteville just took a detour toward pro ball.
The Boston Red Sox picked the Arkansas portal signee in the 11th round of the MLB Draft on Sunday.
Maginnis had been set to join the Razorbacks this fall after transferring out of Sun Belt play.
Now he’ll have a real choice to make before ever putting on a Hogs uniform.
The Newnan Georgia native put together a season that scouts couldn’t ignore.
He earned First Team All-Sun Belt honors after slashing .306/.404/.486 in 216 at-bats this year.
That kind of all around production up the middle doesn’t stay hidden from pro clubs for long.
Maginnis racked up 66 hits with 13 doubles and a triple to go along with eight home runs.
He drove in 42 runs while drawing 31 walks against 36 strikeouts across 56 games. He also stole 21 bases, showing off a rare mix of pop and speed that teams covet in a middle infielder.
That well rounded line made him one of the more productive hitters in the Sun Belt this spring.
Between the average, the walk total and the stolen bases, evaluators saw the makings of a complete player instead of a one dimensional bat.
A family tie to Fayetteville remains
Even if Maginnis signs with Boston, the Maginnis name isn’t finished with Arkansas baseball.
His brother Hayes Maginnis is already committed to the Razorbacks’ 2027 recruiting class. Dave Van Horn will get a shot at a Maginnis on campus one way or another.
Maginnis became the first of Arkansas’ portal additions to come off the board this year.
Ben Cleary, another Hogs portal signee, followed him later on Sunday when Cleveland took him in the 12th round.
MLB rules give teams a bit of financial wiggle room with picks made after the 10th round.
Clubs can sign a player picked past that point for up to $150,000 without it counting against the bonus pool.
Anything beyond that figure does count toward the pool, and that math could shape how talks go between Maginnis and Boston.
Arkansas won’t know for sure whether Maginnis suits up for the Razorbacks until a decision becomes official.
For now the Red Sox hold both his signing rights and the leverage that comes with an 11th round pick.
Losing signees to the draft comes with the territory when a program builds its portal class around players who can flat out play.
Key takeaways
- Wills Maginnis went to the Boston Red Sox in the 11th round of the MLB Draft
- He hit .306 with eight home runs and 21 stolen bases this season
- His brother Hayes Maginnis remains committed to Arkansas’ 2027 recruiting class
