WVU's Gavin Kelly Ranked as the Top College Prospect for the 2027 MLB Draft

Alek Manoah went 11th overall to the Toronto Blue Jays in 2019, and JJ Wetherholt went 7th overall to the St. Louis Cardinals in 2024. Could we see Gavin Kelly become the highest drafted player in WVU baseball history next summer? It seems more than a possibility at this point.

According to Baseball America, Kelly is the No. 1-rated college prospect for the 2027 MLB Draft. Obviously, names will rise and fall between now and then, and you'll also have some high school talent mixed in, but if Kelly continues on this trajectory, there's a chance he may go No. 1 overall.

Baseball America's Top 10 prospects

1. C/2B Gavin Kelly, West Virginia
2. P Dax Whitney, Oregon State
3. SS Brendan Lawson, Florida
4. OF Landon Hairston, Arizona State
5. P Tomas Valincius, Mississippi State
6. P Chris Levonas, Wake Forest
7. P Casan Evans, LSU
8. P William Schmidt, LSU
9. 3B Brodie Johnson, Vanderbilt
10. C Chase Fralick, Auburn

Kelly's versatility on defense is a huge plus for scouts

Playing multiple positions is fairly common in baseball nowadays, but it's rare to see someone catch and play the middle of the infield. Most catchers will settle behind the dish or play a corner infield or outfield spot, but Kelly's athleticism and ability to go get the ball make him a rock-solid second baseman. I'm a firm believer that if an organization needs to fill a hole at second, that could be his full-time position and he would play it at an extremely high level. He flashes the leather, has a strong arm to roll two, and plays the position cleanly. What he's doing behind the plate, though, is probably more impressive. He's throwing out runners at a high clip and does a good job of receiving and stealing some strikes.

The bat is legit

It's rare that the catching position produces much offense. That's the way it's been for years, and perhaps even more so in the last couple of years in the MLB aside from Cal Raleigh's three-year run, which appears to have come to an end, hitting just .161 this season. Kelly's bat speed, barrel rate, and approach at the plate are elite. That isn't going to fade or significantly regress at the next level. If anything, he will continue to be a high average hitter with some pop. Putting up similar numbers next year should be more than enough to lock him in as a top-five pick.

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