Kahlil Watson - 5/19/22

Prospect Spotlight on Marlins' Kahlil Watson

Prospect Spotlight 🔦

Kahlil Watson, SS 19 y/o, L/R, 5'9" / 178 - Marlins (Low-A)

Last week: .345/.387/.517, 31 PA, 10 H, 2 2B, 1 HR, 2 BB, 10 K

The Marlins selected Watson with the 16th overall pick in the 2021 draft out of Wake Forest H.S. (NC), giving him $4.5M to become a pro. At the time Watson was thought to be a potential top 5 pick, but rumors of makeup issues caused him to slide down the board. Watson plays with plenty of swagger and confidence, which could be one of the reasons clubs passed and he fell to the Marlins at pick 16. Watson is a great athlete with plus tools across the board. He’s likely a strong enough defender to stick at SS, but the bat is the calling card. His plus bat speed from the left side allows him generate above-average power despite his small frame.

Watson has gotten off to a relatively strong start, hitting .267/.310/.483 (128 wRC+) with 6 home runs and 8 steals over his first 129 plate appearances in Low-A. Coming into the 2021 draft, Watson was given rave reviews by scouts for his advanced approach at the plate and his feel for the strike zone. So far that has yet to show up. Watson has actually shown the opposite of an advanced approach — recording a swing rate (59%) that is among the highest in Low-A and chasing pitches outside of the zone at a well above-average rate (43%). This approach has, unsurprisingly, produced a monster strikeout rate of over 40% and a walk rate of just 5%.