Continuing to stock the pitching pipeline on Day 1 of the 2026 MLB Draft, the St. Louis Cardinals selected right-hander Dawson Montesa from West Virginia University with the 72nd overall pick Saturday night.
The selection came with the second of two Competitive Balance Round B picks the Cardinals acquired in the Brendan Donovan trade package earlier this year (the other was No. 68). Montesa, a 6-foot-1, 185-pound junior from Glendale, N.Y., becomes the latest arm added to a farm system already featuring several high-upside pitchers.
Born Sept. 3, 2005, in Queens, Montesa is still just 20 years old. He took a non-traditional path to this point. A standout at Queens Metropolitan High School, where he was a four-year varsity starter, three-year captain and three-time PSAL strikeout leader (including 121 strikeouts in 48 innings as a senior), he began his college career at Division II Adelphi University. There he dominated, earning multiple All-America honors in 2025 after going 8-1 with a 1.99 ERA and a school-record 105 strikeouts in 72⅓ innings. He posted a 13.1 K/9 that season and was named NCBWA East Region Pitcher of the Year along with several other regional and conference honors.
Montesa transferred to West Virginia for the 2026 season and stepped into a Big 12 rotation that helped the Mountaineers make a deep postseason run. In 19 appearances (15 starts) he went 6-5 with a 5.38 ERA over 77 innings, striking out 92 batters (10.8 K/9) while walking 44. His walk rate climbed as the year progressed (5.98 BB/9 in conference play), contributing to him being moved to a bullpen role late in the season and into the NCAA Tournament. Even so, he showed the competitiveness scouts love, throwing a high-pitch outing in a regional and then coming back the next day in relief to help WVU advance.
MLB Pipeline graded Montesa as a 45 overall prospect with these tool grades: Fastball 55 | Curveball 55 | Slider 50 | Changeup 45 | Control 45.
The right-hander works with a true four-pitch mix that gives him a realistic chance to start at the next level. His fastball sits mid-90s and has reached 97-98 mph, featuring late life and rising action that generates swing-and-miss when elevated. The curveball is his best secondary offering — a pitch with real depth, late downward bite and the ability to manipulate shape. He also mixes a harder mid-80s slider and a changeup that shows fade and tumble, though it is the least used of the four.
Command and consistency with the strike zone remain the primary developmental hurdles. Montesa’s walk rate rose during the 2026 season after he showed better control at the Division II level. At his best he fills the zone and mixes all four pitches effectively. When the command wavers, the arsenal still plays enough that evaluators see a high-leverage reliever floor with starter upside if the strikes improve.
Athleticism is a plus. The New York native has a clean, athletic delivery and the kind of arm speed that suggests he can maintain velocity deep into outings. His favorite big-leaguer is Gerrit Cole, and the competitive fire he showed in high-stakes college games this spring is the type of trait the Cardinals have long valued.
At pick 72, Montesa represents solid value for an organization that has prioritized arms under Chaim Bloom and Randy Flores. The Cardinals already took high-upside prep outfielder Trevor Condon at No. 13 and Tennessee right-hander Tegan Kuhns earlier Saturday. Adding another college pitcher with a four-pitch mix and present velocity fits the “best player available with developmental upside” approach.
Montesa’s relative youth (he won’t turn 21 until September) and the fact he made the leap from D-II dominance to starting for a CWS-contending Big 12 program give him projection. If the Cardinals’ player-development staff can tighten the command — something they have done successfully with several college arms in recent years — he could move relatively quickly through the system.
Montesa is expected to sign for a bonus near the slot value of the 72nd pick (approximately $1.17 million). Once he does, he will join a deep group of pitching prospects that the Cardinals hope will form the backbone of the next competitive window in St. Louis.
For a player who went from Queens high school ball to D-II All-American to Big 12 contributor in just a few years, the next chapter begins in the Cardinals organization. The stuff is real. Now the focus turns to refining the command and proving the starter profile is sustainable.
