MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — WVU junior pitchers Dawson Montesa and Maxx Yehl did not have to wait long to hear their names called on the opening day of the Major League Baseball Draft. Montesa was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals with the 72nd pick while Yehl was taken by the Kansas City Royals with the 91st pick.
Montesa was selected in the “Competitive Balance Round B”. In his lone season with the Mountaineers after transferring in from Division II Adelphi, the right-hander posted a 6-5 record with a 5.38 earned run average. He struck out 92 batters in 77 innings of work.
Facing elimination in WVU’s third game of the Morgantown Regional, Montesa limited Wake Forest to four runs in 7.1 innings of work in earning the win. A day later, Montesa returned to the mound and collected the final two outs in West Virginia’s 6-5, 10-inning win over Kentucky in the decisive game of the regional.
Montesa later collected a win in the College World Series as WVU eliminated Troy, 12-0. Montesa allowed just two hits in 5.1 innings of work in his final game of the season.
Montesa’s approximate salary slot for the 72nd pick is $1.17 million.
A year removed from Tommy John surgery, Yehl bounced back to earn Big 12 Pitcher of the Year honors. He earned consensus All-American distinction after posting a 9-3 record with a 2.13 earned run average. Yehl fanned 112 batters in 97.0 innings of work.
In the final game of the Morgantown Regional, Yehl pitched 5.0 innings, while allowing just one run and he struck out six batters. Yehl would go on to pick up the victory in WVU’s Super Regional-clinching win over Cal Poly.
Yehl’s approximate salary slot for the 91st pick is $872,900.
The draft concludes Sunday with Rounds 5-20.