One WVU baseball player may not have expected to hear his name during the 2025 MLB Draft, but one of his dreams came true. The late stages of the MLB Draft are often wild, chaotic, and unpredictable, so many players do not give up hope until the last pick is announced.
Chosen in the 15th round with the 448th overall pick, WVU outfielder Skylar King was selected by the Boston Red Sox selected WVU outfielder Skylar King on July 14. King would be the fifth WVU player drafted, joining Logan Sauve, Griffin Kirn, Robby Porco, and Kyle West. King will join one of the most storied franchises in the sport, as the Red Sox have won nine World Series, tied with the Athletics for the third most in MLB.
𝘿𝙍𝘼𝙁𝙏𝙀𝘿!
— WVU Baseball (@WVUBaseball) July 14, 2025
The Boston Red Sox have selected Skylar King in the 15th round!@iamskylarking | @RedSox pic.twitter.com/upQcvMoJYu
King’s junior season saw a lot of production on both sides of the ball. King brought an electric bat to the plate and made highlight reel plays in centerfield. If King signs his MLB contract with the Red Sox, his final season at WVU will have ended with .291/.415/.398 slash line that boosted him to an .813 OPS. The Columbia, South Carolina, native also flashed the leather several times during the 2025 season.
On one of the happiest days of his life, King was probably not thinking about the hard path that lay in front of him to make the majors. He shouldn’t be thinking of that; he should be celebrating his great achievement. But on the outside looking in, it is hard for someone not to worry about King’s chances to climb in the Red Sox organization. This is not to say that King did not deserve to be drafted or was not good enough to be drafted. He was abundantly worthy of being taken in the draft because of his hit tool, power tool, speed tool, and glove tool.
Ahead of King are three ultra-talented and young, highly ranked (or formerly highly ranked) prospects. Outside of budding star Jarren Duran, the Red Sox have three outfielders and one utility player who are elite-level prospects, including Roman Anthony, Wilyer Abreu, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Kristen Campbell.
Starting with Roman Anthony, he is the Red Sox's current number one overall-ranked prospect and the second-ranked prospect in the MLB according to a recent MLB.com poll. Next is Wilyer Abreu, who was another top-rated prospect in the Red Sox organization. Abreu is the current sixth-ranked prospect in the Red Sox organization and is one of the best-performing rookies this season in the MLB. Thirdly, Ceddanne Rafaela is the third-ranked prospect for the Red Sox and the 77th-ranked prospect in all the MLB. Lastly, Kristian Campbell was awarded the 2024 Minor League Player of the Year.
All of that talent will make it very difficult for King to make his debut with the Red Sox. But it is not a far stretch that we could see King used in a package deal with other prospects for the Red Sox to acquire a veteran player -- but King does also have one season of collegiate eligibility remaining, which he could still use for the Mountaineers if he doesn't like his initial chances at playing time within the organization.
No matter the size of the challenge, one thing is for certain -- King will have the support of most of the Mountaineer nation behind him on his journey, whether in Boston or somewhere else.