(Photo: Maxx Yehl, the West Virginia All-American, poses with Lennox Scott during his baseball camp in Olean on Monday. Yehl signed for all the kids and took photos before leaving right after camp to report to Arizona for his next assignment)
By CHUCK POLLOCK, Wellsville Sun and Olean Star Senior Sports Writer
There hasn’t been such excitement in this area about a baseball player since Port Allegany’s Brian Stavisky was drafted by the Oakland A’s 24 years ago.
The first baseman/outfielder from Notre Dame was taken in the sixth round of the 2002 draft. The 188th overall pick played nine years productive years in five levels of the minors.
But, alas, Portville’s Maxx Yehl has kicked things up a notch.
He’s a monster, 6-foot-6, 235 pounds AND a lefthander, the perfect dimensions for a major-league mound.
Yehl, a starter and reliever, overcame Tommy John surgery two years ago to become the ace of the West Virginia staff, steering the Mountaineers into the College World Series.
Then, on Saturday, he disproved “scouts” who saw him as a fifth- or sixth-rounder by being drafted in the third round by Kansas City. The 91st overall pick and the third pitcher selected by the Royals whose major league staff of 13 contains eight pitchers over 30, three of them at least 34.
Besides Yehl, KC also drafted righthander Taylor Raabe (Mississippi) as a Competitive Balance pick at No. 30 and right hander Jack Slightom (North Carolina) in the second round with the 56th selection.
ANNE ROGERS, in assessing the Royals draft, noted “On Day 2 they went heavy on arms with 13 of their 16 picks being pitchers.
“By the end of it all, they feel that they added a mix of advanced college players and some high upside prep players with their 21 total picks across the two-day draft.”
She added, “That’s especially true of the early college picks in (Louisville outfielder Zion) Rose, Rabe and Yehi, all of whom have traits that could see them move (up) quickly.”
Royals general manager J.J. Picolo added, “Those three college guys stood out in that they’re Major League players. They have the talent, the makeup and they’re getting better as they get into their early 20s (Yehl is 22), they’re going to hit their stride pretty easily. They’re mature guys who have the tools that we like along with the performance that we feel to move quickly through the system the way our system is kind of moving today. They have those attributes.”
The Royals assessment of Yehl was, “After a college career that began as a reliever and a pause for Tommy John surgery. Yehl returned to the mound in ’26 as part of the Mountaineers rotation and helped them to the College World Series while earning Bi2 Pitcher of the Year honors (9-3 record, two saves, 2.13 earned run average).
Right before the draft, Maxx and his girlfriend, Liv, visited the Texas Hot in Wellsville. A post by the Main Street restaurant has over 2,000 likes.
“Yehl excelled in a starting role largely because of his control striking out batters at a 28% clip and walking them at a 6.5% rate.
“He primarily works with a three-pitch mix including a fastball that touches 96 mph. His secondary pitch is an average high-spin slider.”
A Royals scout added, “Talk about his makeup. Killer instinct. I think there’s a chance for him to start. I don’t make that decision, all I’m trying to do is acquire talent. But he could come out of the pen and not be fazed. He’s really a tough nut. Being a lefthander from that angle can be very beneficial for us.”
(Chuck Pollock, a Wellsville Sun and Olean Star senior sports columnist, can be reached at cpollock@wnynet.net.)
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