West Virginia baseball's roster to get valuable answers in upcoming MLB Draft
The MLB Draft is just days away, giving West Virginia a lot more clarity surrounding their roster as they head closer to the fall.
This week is a big weekend for all college baseball teams, but for the Mountaineers, they will be able to have a lot more answers about their roster come the end of the 20-round draft.
Who could be drafted from WVU?
Unlike last year when West Virginia had a surefire first-round pick, there is not as easy a choice from the Mountaineers.
Logan Sauve, WVU’s junior catcher, seems to have the highest chance of getting drafted from the Mountaineers, but he’s not the only one. Other key pieces in WVU’s lineup who could be drafted include Sam White, Brodie Kresser, and Skylar King.
On the mound, WVU lost Griffin Kirn and Jack Kartsonas to eligibility, while they have also had five pitchers enter the transfer portal. Carson Estridge, Robby Porco, and Reese Bassinger, are all guys who have eligibility remaining but are also draft eligible.
The only two that eligibility would be somewhat a question mark about is Brodie Kresser, although head coach Steve Sabins multiple times throughout the year that Kresser has another year to use if he wants to.
Who left WVU?
West Virginia has had 17 players leave from last year’s team, either because of no remaining eligibility or because they entered the portal.
On the mound, the Mountaineers lost eight total arms, while they lost nine position players.
Who is coming to WVU?
West Virginia baseball has been very active in both the high school recruiting area as well as the transfer portal.
So far, West Virginia has 14 adds to their roster from the high school ranks, and 13 from the transfer portal, totaling 27 new guys coming to Morgantown in the fall. It’s important to note that this number could also change if one of WVU’s signees ends up getting drafted in the later rounds.
As of now, no Mountaineer player or signee is a top 250 prospect, according to MLB.com. That would mean there is a likelihood, 27 new guys could be coming to school in the fall, meaning there will be a lot of roster decisions that have to take place.
How many players does WVU have to get to?
As of now, the minimum number of returners for the Mountaineers sits at 12. The maximum number of returners is 19. This means WVU’s roster size is going to range anywhere between 39-46 players entering the fall; however, this number is dependent on any potential additions for WVU getting drafted as well.
While that’s not too uncommon, it does mean there will be decisions made before the start of spring. With the new house settlement, baseball rosters are expected to get to 34 players, but there is a lot of uncertainty if there will be other players grandfathered in to account for the change.
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