Dawson Montesa, Maxx Yehl Beat MLB Draft Projections As Second- And Third-Round Picks
MORGANTOWN -- Dawson Montesa and Maxx Yehl beat expectations Saturday, big time.
The two WVU pitchers were selected during the first day of the MLB Amateur Draft, Montesa with the 72nd overall selection by the St. Louis Cardinals and Yehl was picked 91st overall by the Kansas City Royals.
"Turned down draft opportunity last season. Bet on himself," WVU head coach Steve Sabins posted on social media about Yehl. "Took WVU baseball to Omaha. Became the Big 12 Conference Pitcher of the Year and a 3rd Rounder."
Both pitchers were slotted as fourth- or fifth-round picks, but went ahead of their projections.
Montesa, who finished 6-5 with a 5.38 ERA in his lone season with the Mountaineers, was taken in the Competitive Balance-B portion of the second round.
Yehl, who was named the Big 12 Pitcher of the Year after going 9-3 with a 2.13 ERA, was taken by the Royals with the 16th pick of the third round.
According to MLB.com's projections, Montesa was slotted as the 161st top prospect, beating his projection by 89 spots. Yehl was projected as the 217th top prospect, beating his projection by 126 draft spots.
It will certainly mean a hefty chunk of money is going their way. Montesa's draft spot comes with a slot signing-bonus value of $1.17 million, while Yehl's slot signing-bonus value tied to his pick is worth $872,900.
It is expected both pitchers will sign and forego their remaining college eligibility.
For Montesa, maybe it shouldn't be too much of a surprise that he yet again beat the odds. Just two years ago, he was pitching in Division II in his home state of New York, at Adelphi University.
He became a Division II All-American, before taking the step up to Division I and signed at WVU.
"Montesa is an athletic 6-foot-1 right-hander, who has a four-pitch mix that could give him the chance to start at the next level," Montesa's MLB.com scouting report reads. "His fastball sits in the mid-90s and can touch 98 at times, and it's a tough pitch to barrel — with a decent amount of swing-and-miss — when he's up in the zone."
Montesa opened the season as WVU's Friday night starter, but eventually got pushed back into the rotation as the season wore on.
He had his best moments of the season when it mattered most - during the NCAA tournament. Montesa earned wins against both Wake Forest during the Morgantown Regional and then again against Troy in an elimination game in the College World Series.
In those games, he combined to pitch 12 2/3 innings, allowed six hits, five runs and struck out 13.
Yehl, meanwhile, was a comeback story this past season. He sat out the 2025 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, but came back a season later to become the top pitcher in the Big 12.
His 2.13 ERA was the seventh-best in the nation and Yehl finished with 112 strikeouts over 97 innings pitched.
"While he only has this season as a starter on his resume, Yehl's size and pure stuff should at least give him a chance to stick in a rotation at the next level," Yehl's MLB.com scouting report said. "The 6-foot-6 lefty has shown the ability to get his fastball up to 96-97 mph, especially early in the season."
After seeing pitchers Dawson Montesa (St. Louis) and Maxx Yehl (Kansas City) get selected within the first 100 picks on Saturday, former teammates Paul Schoenfeld and Ian Korn were drafted on Sunday.
Schoenfeld went in the eighth round (236th overall) to the Arizona Diamondbacks, while Korn was drafted in the 10th round (298th overall) by the San Francisco Giants.
Both players were seniors and out of college eligibility.
"The ultimate psycho, teammate, and winner is headed to the Diamondbacks,” WVU head coach Steve Sabins tweeted about Schoenfeld.
Korn and Schoenfeld came to the Mountaineers as Division II transfers with one season of eligibility remaining and both players played key roles in helping WVU advance to the College World Series.
Schoenfeld batted .327 with four home runs and 52 RBIs. His dramatic two-run home run in the ninth inning helped the Mountaineers defeat Kentucky, 11-9, during the Morgantown Regional.
Korn, a right-handed pitcher, transferred from Seton Hill (Pa.) and finished 6-1 with a 3.39 ERA. He appeared in 24 games for the Mountaineers and also recorded two saves.
Schoenfeld's slotted signing-bonus value was $237,800, while Korn's was slotted at $196,000, although college seniors drafted in the middle rounds are rarely offered their slotted value.
The first incoming WVU player to go off the board was Henne, a shortstop at Division II Seton Hill (Pa.), the same school that produced Korn.
Henne, who was entering his senior season, had announced his transfer to WVU last month after batting .401 with five home runs and 39 RBIs this past season. He was taken in the sixth round (175th overall) by the St. Louis Cardinals.
Henne was the first Division II-level college player selected in the draft and is expected to sign professionally. He also played 16 games for the West Virginia Black Bears in the MLB Draft League, where he batted .302 with one home run and eight RBIs over 16 games. His signing bonus slot value at that pick is worth around $383,400.