Top Pitching Prospect Kyle Casteel Has Decided Between WVU and the White Sox

A decision has been made, and it’s one that West Virginia fans are going to be disappointed by, yet can certainly understand. WVU incoming right-handed freshman. Pitcher Kyle Casteel informed me Thursday afternoon that he signed his contract with the Chicago White Sox earlier this morning.

"It was definitely a difficult decision to make," he said. "After talking with my people, we decided it was the best option for me, and it was such a blessing to be put in that spot. Coach Sabins and the whole staff were amazing throughout the whole process. It showed his genuine care for me. There is a reason they are so good year in and year out. Sabins is one of a kind."

He was selected with the 315th overall pick (11th round) in the 2026 MLB Draft on Sunday, an intriguing spot because teams can use bonus pool savings from the first 10 rounds to offer players drafted after the 10th round more than the $150,000 threshold. Casteel's deal with the White Sox is worth $1.25M.

In Chicago’s case, it also helps that they had the largest bonus pool of any team in this year’s draft, making the signing of Casteel more likely for them than perhaps other teams.

Had Casteel opted to come to WVU and raise his draft stock, he would’ve likely been a candidate to be the team’s midweek starter next spring, setting him up to make a jump into the weekend rotation by 2028. The coaching staff was super high on him, believing that he could have been the future face of the pitching staff. Instead, he will get his start in pro ball and look to climb the ladder there over the next three years as opposed to waiting to make his ascension through the minor league ranks.

My updated pitching rotation projection for 2027

Weekend rotation: Chansen Cole, Robert Satin, JJ Glasscock or Drew Becker

Midweek candidates: David Hagen, Griffen Paige, Colton Hartman

At this point in time, I think it’s pretty safe to say that Cole and Satin are locked into starting roles. The Sunday starter could be either Glasscock, Becker, or any of the three mentioned as midweek candidates. Although WVU is losing Maxx Yehl, Dawson Montesa, and technically Casteel, I still believe the weekend rotation is in great shape, and they will have several more options to start midweek games and get better length there than they did this past season.

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