Top-140 MLB prospect withdraws from draft, inks with Virginia

By Jerry Ratcliffe

More good news for Chris Pollard’s team, in that hot high school pitching prospect John Paone from Lexington, Mass., has withdrawn his name from the Major League Baseball Draft and will play for Virginia.

Paone, a right-handed pitcher, was previously committed to Duke.

Ranked as high as No. 134 by MLB.com, Paone was a top-250 draft prospect.

This is a huge get for Pollard and the Wahoos as they continue to build a formidable pitching staff for the 2026 season.

Paone’s fastball has been clocked in the mid-90s, with an 80-mph slider and a changeup that tracks 84-85.