Kahlil Watson Stats & Scouting Report College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects
Midseason Update: The first half of Watson's first full season as a pro has not been good by any measure. He's struggled mightily to make contact, with a strikeout rate that has hovered near 40% for most of the season. He's got bat speed and plenty of raw power, but his issues with swing and miss has not allowed him to get to it often. The thickness in his lower half and erratic throwing arm likely means he will move off of shortstop in the long-term. Perhaps the biggest concerns of all revolve around his makeup. Scouts note he tends to get particularly agitated when ball-strike calls do not go his way. To that end, he was ejected from a game on July 1 for making a gesture with his bat at an umpire who had ruled a checked-swing strike on him earlier in the at-bat. He did not play for the rest of the series. Watson still has talent, but his stock has dropped considerably this year.
Track Record: Watson used the summer circuit to cement his status as one of the top prospects in the country—he ranked No. 6 on the Baseball America 500 and third among prep shortstops behind Jordan Lawlar and Marcelo Mayer—and then watched as he took a curious tumble on draft night. He settled at No. 16 with the Marlins, who signed him away from his North Carolina State commitment for $4,540,790. Watson had a successful but short debut in the Florida Complex League before his season was cut short by a grade 2 hamstring strain. He got back on the field at the team's development camp in October, when he was part of a group of the very best prospects in the system.
Scouting Report: Watson's prodigious bat speed is his biggest calling card. He uses an extremely strong lower half to help him whip the bat through the zone to produce all-fields juice without a lot of big, wasted movement while still showing the barrel malleability needed to hit for plenty of average as well. He also proved himself as an amateur against some of the best pitching in the class. He showed well against mid-90s fastballs and displayed the strike zone discipline to confidently take borderline pitches while maintaining a sense of calm at the plate in a variety of situations. There are a few minor kinks to be worked out as he develops. Specifically, the team's hitting department identified a small hitch in his load that can cause his timing to get out of whack and leave him off-balance during his swing. He's so strong, however, and has such a sense of barrel awareness that he can often overcome the issue and make decent contact. Defensively, there's more of a question mark. Watson has the speed and the athleticism to stick at shortstop, but he needs to improve his footwork at the position. When his feet get out of sync his arm slot can also be affected, which leads to erratic throws. Watson also needs to increase his focus on defense as a whole. Evaluators have seen him make plenty of highlight-reel plays with his range and arm, but there have also been clunkers on routine plays. He's got plenty of speed, too, as shown by the 6.5-second 60-yard dash he ran during East Coast Pro over the summer. If he can't stick at shortstop, his speed would fit in center field or his offense could allow him to settle in as a middle-infield masher.
The Future: Watson was invited to the Marlins' fall development camp after the season and was one of the most impressive players on hand. He continued opening eyes at the plate, in the field and on the bases. Watson will get his first full test as a pro at Low-A Jupiter, where he'll work on honing his defense to the point where he can remain at shortstop in the long run. If he shores up a few things on defense, the Marlins believe they have the makings of a true five-tool talent.
Scouting Grades: Hit: 40. Power: 55. Run: 60. Field: 50. Arm: 55.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7o63SnpmapJyWuqa%2ByJyYZ5ufonyxuMCynKurX22FdoCMpJihpJmherit06ymp2c%3D