By Bryce Kamin

Former 1st round draft pick Kahlil Watson suited up for the Cleveland Guardians and made his Major League debut on Thursday June 18th against the Brewers.

The left-handed outfielder was drafted by the Marlins with the 16th pick in the first round of the 2021 MLB draft before making his way over to the Guardians organization. He then briefly made his way onto MLB top 100 prospect list before eventually falling off of it. He’s been highly touted as a toolsy athlete known for his power and speed. Scouts say he has a lightning quick swing.

Watson swiped 92 bags during this time in the minors and collected 16 triples. From 2024 to 2025 he hit 32 home runs while driving in 102 RBI. During that same span, his OPS jumped up 100 points. In the 54 games Watson played in AAA earlier this year, his OPS would jump again. This time it went up 48 points to .861. His slugging was also up as he hit 12 homers and 12 doubles which helped him post an impressive.491 slugging percentage – the best of his career in that large of a sample size.

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While Watson failed to reach base in the first two games of his young career, he did make a beautiful diving catch in his debut in what was the most spectacular web-gem of the night. With Parker Messick on the mound in the bottom of the second inning, Brewers’ catcher Gary Sanchez would drive in a run to bring the Brewers up 1-0. A few at-bats later with two outs and two men on base, Joey Ortiz slapped a frozen rope to right field. Watson sprinted to his left down the line and made a one-legged leap, reaching out to make the grab as the Guardians would make three outs in a row to bring the inning to a close and end the pain. The Guardians went on to win the game by a score of 4-2.

Don’t be concerned by Watson’s early struggle to reach base. Two games is a small sample size, and being a contributor at the plate as a rookie is not an easy task. Watson has promise, he’s more than capable of being one of Cleveland’s most crucial players as the team continues to fight for first place in the AL Central.