With the college baseball season ending on June 22 with LSU’s triumph over Coastal Carolina, all eyes in college baseball world will turn to the 2025 Major League Baseball draft on Sunday and Monday. Read More: Mountaineers await MLB Draft.
For West Virginia Mountaineers fans, it’s no different.
Last year saw the highest selection in WVU history when the St. Louis Cardinals selected superstar shortstop JJ Wetherholt seventh overall. Wetherholt is still thriving a year later, hitting .300 with an .892 OPS in AA before being promoted to AAA, where he’s hitting .364 with a 1.326 OPS in three games.
It would be a shock if any Mountaineers saw their name called in the first round, but plenty are in contention to be selected at some point in the draft.
Mountaineers await MLB Draft
2B Sam White
The versatile Canadian has been a force all three years he’s been in Morgantown. Playing both corner infield and outfield spots as well as catcher in his first two seasons, White nailed down a place in the starting lineup as a freshman and kept it as sophomore. While earned an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention as he hit .305/.406/.498 with a .903 OPS during his sophomore campaign.
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White moved permanently to second base for his junior year in 2025 and got even better. The second baseman hit .361/.426/.529 en route to another All-Big 12 Honorable Mention and an ABCA All-East Region First Team honor. As a lefty bat with a decent defensive profile, White will be in demand sometime in the middle of day two.
CF Skylar King
King, another member of the 2022 recruiting class, had to wait his turn a little bit longer. He made only 22 plate appearances as a freshman.
King became the starter in center field as a sophomore and broke out as a junior, hitting .291 while patrolling CF for the Mountaineers. King is an analytics darling, possessing the speed and max exit velocities modern scouts crave.
Additionally, King is one of the top defensive center fielders in college baseball. He’s prolific at getting on base, only lacking in power. The centerfielder is a defense/speed-first prospect, but the jump he’s made with his bat has put him firmly in draft discussions.
Like White, he also figures to go sometime on day two. Anticipating his departure, the Mountaineers brought in outfielders Paul Schoenfeld, Sean Smith and Brock Wills from the transfer portal.
C Logan Sauve
A third member of the 2022 recruiting class, Sauve grabbed a starting spot as the second catcher and primary designated hitter in 2023. The catcher hit .267 with an .811 OPS as a freshman and .308/.379/.484 with a .862 OPS as a sophomore. While he was rumored to be taken as a draft-eligible sophomore last year, he removed himself from the draft process.
Head coach Steve Sabins called Sauve’s decision “probably the biggest return from a draft perspective we’ve had in 10 years here.” Back in Morgantown, Sauve hit .276/.385/.457 for an OPS of .842 in his junior year.
Sauve’s future is uncertain, but it appears the WVU staff expects him to be taken. The Mountaineers added NCAA Division III National Catcher of the Year Michael Smosnam, as well as Ohio State starter Matthew Graveline, and are returning 2025 No. 2 catcher Gavin Kelly.
Talent for the Taking
Some other names that could be taken in this year’s draft are star corner outfielders Kyle West and Jace Rinehart. The two outfielders are bat-first prospects with little defensive value.
Lefty ace Griffin Kirn, potentially talented wild card Robby Porco, and Jack Kartsonas all have an outside chance of being selected in this year’s draft. Kirn and Kartsonas have stellar production but their age is a minus for teams. Porco lacks their production but has sort of upside scouts can dream on.
All-time program home run leader Grant Hussey is also eligible for the draft. Hussey has the power tool and elite first base defense, but a poor hit tool will probably keep him from being drafted.
