Chicago White Sox select Arkansas pitcher Peyton Pallette in 2022 MLB Draft

Former Arkansas pitcher Peyton Pallette heard his name called on day one of the 2022 MLB Draft by the Chicago White Sox with the 62nd overall pick. Pallette was the second Razorback taken in the draft behind third baseman Cayden Wallace, and one of the top pitching prospects selected in the draft.

White Sox select Peyton Pallette

Coming into the draft, Pallette was ranked as the No. 43 prospect on the MLB Draft Tracker, and his selection in the late part of the second round came as somewhat of a surprise. However, the draft overwhelmingly saw position players being selected throughout the first and second rounds, so Pallette’s ranking among pitchers selected was much more in line with draft projections for him.

The first round of the draft saw only eight pitchers taken off the board, and one two-way prospect.

Pallette, an Arkansas native who went on to star for the Razorbacks, will now try to prove himself at the MLB level in the White Sox system. The 21-year-old right-handed pitcher was notable for his ability to throw a deep breaking curveball, but unfortunately missed the entire 2022 season after having Tommy John surgery.

In 15 games with Arkansas, Pallette started 11 times and posted an ERA of 4.02 across 56 innings of work. However, in his limited action, Pallette struck out 67 batters with only 20 walks — holding opposing batters to a .237 batting average against him.

With Pallette’s selection coming shortly after Wallace’s in the second round, Arkansas teammates like second baseman Robert Moore and shortstop Jalen Battles were still available to be drafted — both of which were listed as top-200 prospects coming into the draft.

While Pallette was one of the highest drafted pitchers out of the college level, few draft picks were as surprising as former Vanderbilt ace Kumar Rocker being selected third overall by the Texas Rangers to open the draft. After failing to receive an offer from the New York Mets following his draft selection in 2021, Rocker opted not to return to Vanderbilt for another season before the 2022 MLB Draft — a decision that helped him become a top-three pick and the first pitcher selected this year.