‘The best athlete in America’: Will Yow staying with Virginia, withdraws from MLB Draft

One of the highest-ranked recruits in Virginia baseball’s 2026 class is Will Yow from the neighboring St. Anne’s-Belfield School, ranked as the sixth-best high school shortstop in the class. However, it was long considered unlikely that Yow would suit up for the Cavaliers — most publications projected him as an early second round pick in the 2026 MLB Draft.

Things changed Thursday.

Yow formally removed his name from draft consideration, and he will be staying in Charlottesville to play for Virginia. Coach Duke Fox, who was Yow’s head coach at STAB, said that Yow made a wise choice.

“I think he made the right decision in terms of getting to college, developing under Coach Pollard — he's produced plenty of talented major league players — and if it works out that way, great,” Fox said in an interview with UVA On SI. “And if not, it's one of the best universities in America and [he will] get a great education. So, fantastic for Will.”

The MLB Draft can transform the recruiting class for any top college program. Last year, elite shortstop prospect Nick Becker was swiped away in the second round by the Seattle Mariners. However, John Paone and Noah Yoder ended up going to college. Keeping members of a recruiting class is a major win for Pollard. Yow is especially notable given that many MLB scouts considered him to be the fastest player available in the draft.

“Will's probably the best athlete in America, speed wise, jumping ability, agility, just real athletic ability,” Fox said.

However, Fox quickly mentioned that Yow is far more than a speedster. There are many attributes that made Yow a sought-after MLB prospect.

“The thing that always gets missed is that he's an incredible baseball player,” Fox said. “Multi-time all-conference, multi-time all-state player has produced against the best opponents that we've faced over his four years in high school consistently, even when he was a freshman and weighed 135 pounds, he's an incredible baseball player. So he's not an athlete who plays baseball, he's a baseball player that happens to be an elite elite athlete.”

In the official MLB Draft prospect rankings, MLB ranked Yow as a top-40 high school prospect, good for No. 102 overall. The 18-year-old is currently listed at 6-foot-1 and 175 pounds.

“But while he has a slight build, he’s a super-twitchy athlete with some projection, he makes a ton of contact and he gets to some impact, even with a wood bat in his hands,” the scouting report reads. “He may never be a slugger, but no one predicted Trea Turner would hit 20-plus homers in the big leagues, either.

That’s relevant because Yow does give off some Turner vibes. Like Turner from his amateur days, scouts aren’t sure if Yow and his average arm can stick at shortstop long-term (Turner has played over 1,100 games at the position), so teams might not want to look away from him at the premium position.”

By foregoing the draft and going to college, Yow could develop significantly by the time he is draft-eligible again in a few years. Ryan Weiner, Senior Writer for The Cavalier Daily, emphasized the importance of keeping a coveted in-state prospect given that Virginia has some vacancies in the infield.

“It's incredible for the team, especially considering they're going to lose both their starting middle infielders from this year, [Eric] Becker and [Joe] Tiroly, to get a guy who was thought by some to be a first round pick,” Weiner said in an interview with UVA On SI. “It's a huge gain for a Virginia roster that will be looking to make up for losing a bunch of guys to the draft this year.”

There are a few names in the mix to replace Becker and Tiroly. RJ Holmes returns as the closest to an incumbent at shortstop, and Pollard dipped into the transfer portal to add Michael Elko from Richmond and Reid Howard from Western Kentucky. Yow, Holmes, Elko and Howard will compete for the starting gigs at shortstop, and second base as well.

It is also possible that Yow challenges Noah Murray at third base. Murray had a team-worst .310 slugging percentage in 2025 (min. 45 at-bats).

“I think the door is wide open for [Yow],” Weiner said. “I think RJ Holmes probably has the inside track to start at shortstop, but with losing both Becker and Tiroly to the draft, most likely you have a second base spot open, and Pollard hasn't been too hesitant to give players their chance when they've earned it.”

Whatever Yow’s role looks like as a freshman, Fox said that he “is not going to be behind anybody athletically when he gets out there right away.”

Yow’s speed could be the factor that makes it extremely difficult to keep him off the field. With 80-grade speed, he provides instant offense. The upside is there with his bat, as well. Cavaliers fans may see a bit of Griff O’Ferrall in their new freshman infielder.

“[Yow] was always the best player on the field, and he was fast but he was also just an incredible baseball player,” Fox said. “He made plays as a freshman in high school that seniors don't make, and he probably weighed 140 pounds at that point. He's always made incredible plays, and been a great competitor, and a great kid, and is a two-time captain. He's just a phenomenal, phenomenal kid, and we're so excited.”

Fox also mentioned that Yow truly wanted to play for Pollard and his staff. Heading to an MLB organization is an easy choice for some — but for Yow, the opportunity to attend an elite academic institution, develop and play for his hometown team is evidently a worthwhile investment.

“I've gotten to know [Pollard] on a personal level, and he's just been absolutely outstanding — been great to our program, great to Will and his family, and great to me, as you know, as a high school coach,” Fox said. “I know Coach Pollard is extremely excited to get Will on campus, and was hoping that Will would make this decision, and I'm sure he's thrilled about it.”

Fox called it a “great day for Virginia.”

“I think I think it's going to help their team going forward, and I'm excited for Will and his family, and selfishly excited to be able to go to the game to watch himself," Fox said.

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