Who is Kahlil Watson? Quick hits on the Miami Marlins’ first-round draft pick
The Miami Marlins potentially got the steal of the 2021 MLB Draft and added a quality bat to their organization in the process.
Their selection with the No. 16 overall pick on Sunday: Wake Forest (North Carolina) High School shortstop Kahlil Watson, who was ranked as high as the No. 4 overall prospect in the draft.
The Marlins followed up by selecting Williamsville East (New York) High School catcher Joe Mack, the No. 19 overall prospect in the draft by MLB Pipeline, with the No. 31 pick to begin the first of two Competitive Balance rounds of the draft.
After having a top-five pick each of the last two years, the Marlins had to wait for half of the league to make its selections before going on the clock.
“It really does make a difference when you’re picking 16th as opposed to fourth or fifth,” Marlins first-year general manager Kim Ng said ahead of the draft. “There’s a lot more that can happen. The cards can fall differently. There’s a lot more opportunity for unexpected things to happen.”
That was certainly the case on Sunday, with Watson slipping out of the first half of the first round despite being a consensus top-seven prospect. Marlins director of amateur scouting DJ Svihlik said the Marlins were “very surprised he was available” at No. 16.
“He was clearly the best player available on our board,” Svihlik said.
Watson averaged .477 across his high school career with 16 home runs in 66 games. As a senior, he hit .513 in 15 games with six home runs and 14 RBI. He also had 61 steals in 66 career games for the Wake Forest Cougars.
“Kahlil is one of the more dynamic players in the draft,” said Svihlik, who compared Watson to Jimmy Rollins. “You’re talking about a guy that has a plus arm, plus run, electric bat speed combined with a great swing and athleticism. He plays right up the middle of the field, which is everything we stress in the organization, so he checked all the boxes.”
Watson, 18, said in an interview on MLB Network that the Marlins came out with “a great deal” and that he is grateful for a chance to work with Marlins CEO and Hall of Fame shortstop Derek Jeter.
The signing bonus slot value for the No. 16 overall pick is $3,745,500. The Marlins’ overall bonus pool for its 11 picks in the first 10 rounds (and any bonuses for Rounds 11-20 that exceed $125,000) is just under $10 million.
Kahlil Watson’s Scouting reports
MLB Pipeline, which ranked Watson No. 4: “Watson plays bigger than his listed 5-foot-9 and 178 pounds at the plate. He has plenty of bat speed and takes a big left-handed cut, giving him plus raw pop. Though he has an aggressive power-over-hit approach that may need toning down against more advanced pitchers, he does make consistent contact and doesn’t chase pitches out of the strike zone too often.
“Running better than ever as a senior, Watson consistently displays well-above-average speed and is a basestealing threat. The North Carolina State recruit has the actions and instincts to play a solid shortstop. He could play almost anywhere on the diamond with his quickness and arm strength, and his offensive potential would allow him to profile well at several positions.”
Baseball America, which ranked Watson No. 6: “Watson was one of the standout performers over the summer showcase circuit and immediately put himself in first-round territory after a standout showing at East Coast Pro, where he ran a 6.5 60-yard-dash and looked like one of the best hitters at the event. Watson isn’t the most physical player you’ll see, listed at 5-foot-9, 178 pounds, but there are scouts in the industry who believe his combination of athleticism, tools and defensive profile give him the most upside in the class. Watson has outstanding bat speed and plenty of strength in his swing, with a tendency to take massive hacks and try to hit for power.
“Despite that approach, he has shown a smooth, lefthanded swing and an ability to manipulate his barrel, with impressive at-bats against some of the best pitchers in the class over the summer. Against mid-90s fastballs and some of the best breaking balls the prep class has to offer, Watson seemed perfectly comfortable within his at-bats, spitting on pitches out of the zone, drawing walks when he needed to and driving pitches in his hitting zone when the opportunity arose. That approach and his physical tools should allow him to project as an above-average hitter with solid or better power. Watson is a tremendous athlete who has turned in 70-grade run times at various events and should be at least a plus runner consistently.
“Defensively, he has all the tools to stick at shortstop, with quick-twitch actions, solid glove work and 60-grade arm strength. There have been some scouts who think he might fit best at second base or perhaps in center field in the long run thanks to his speed and athleticism, but there’s no tool he’s missing that he needs to be an above-average defensive shortstop.”
ESPN, which ranked Watson No. 5: “Explosive in the batter’s box with a chance to be a plus hitter who has 20-30 homer power in the Jose Ramirez type area, but he is also the biggest risk of this year’s four elite prep shortstops to slide off of the position.”
The Athletic, which ranked Watson No. 7: “Watson’s season only started during the last week of April, but he showed enough last year to end up in the top-10 picks, with above-average tools across the board, strength for hard contact, and enough speed and athleticism to stay at shortstop with some work.”
What about Joe Mack?
MLB Pipeline wrote that Mack “has the chance to be an impact player on both sides of the ball. The left-handed hitter has the chance to be an above-average hitter, showing off an advanced approach all summer with an impressive ability to pick up base hits with two strikes. He has more alley-to-alley gap power, but he has the strength and bat speed that point to at least average power in the future. While speed isn’t a part of his game, he’s far from a clogger and runs well for a catcher.”
What’s next?
Rounds 2-10 take place on Monday starting at 1 p.m. The draft concludes with Rounds 11-20 on Tuesday starting at noon.
This story was originally published July 11, 2021 at 9:05 PM.
.JPG)