The big part of the deal featured another MLBbro, in veteran sluggerJosh Bellbeing shipped to Miami. But, for the Guardians adding someone as talented as Watson is something team brass seems very intrigued by.
Watson, who was immediately assigned to the High-A Lake County Captains, has so much potential, and he’s the main reason the team made the deal. Guardians’ president of baseball operations, Chris Antonelli spoke highly of Watson via a Zoom following the trade.
“Kahlil is a former first-round pick who is really athletic,” Antoinetti said. “He’s a dynamic player with a great set of skills. He can really impact the ball. He can run. We’re excited to add him to our system.”
"Well, that's one way to greet your new teammates."
The Miami Marlins drafted Watson with the 16th pick of the 2021 MLB Draft, and he’s had some maturity issues in the past. For instance, last summer while playing for Single-A Jupiter, he pointed his bat like a gun at an umpire following a called strike three.
Always considered a shortstop, Watson’s position with the Guardians will be determined as he climbs through the minor league ranks. The aforementioned Antonelli also mentioned this during the Zoom.
“We want to connect with Kahlil before we take any chances like that. We certainly feel he has the athleticism to play multiple positions on the diamond. There’s a chance he can impact us in a number of different places.”
The 20-year-old has struggled a bit at the plate with High-A Beloit team, batting just .206 with seven home runs and 22 RBI in 58 games this season. The team knows he’s better than that and they’re hopeful that this change of scenery can help his talents shine through.
We are excited to welcome Kahlil Watson into the Guardians organization.
Prior to making the trade that also brought veteran infielder Jean Segura — who was immediately released — Antonelli says the team definitely did their “due diligence” on Watson.
“It’s a work in progress,” Antonelli said. “Kahlil joined professional baseball right out of high school. There may have been some bumps along the way in his maturation and development, but we’re encouraged by the progress he has made recently, and we’re excited to bring him into our organization and culture.”
Guardians are hopeful that Watson pans out, if he does, they’ll have a dynamic piece for the future.
For Miami Marlins shortstop Kahlil Watson, playing baseball is something the sweet-hitting, solid-fielding shortstop was born to do. The 16th overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, is what baseball connoisseurs consider a five-tool prospect. One who combines that rare blend of speed, throwing, fielding, hitting for average and hitting with power.
Watson has all of that in his arsenal. He’s sort of reminiscent of his former boss and a guy who was influential in drafting Watson, Hall of Famer and New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter. If there’s one thing “DJ2” knows it’s playing shortstop and “manning the hole.” He did it at an extremely high-level for 20 years. So drafting Watson was a no-brainer, considering many believed the uber-athletic Watson would go higher.
With the 16th overall pick, the @Marlins select Wake Forest (NC) shortstop Kahlil Watson, No. 4 on the Top 250 Draft Prospects list.
Watson is the Marlins top-ranked prospect, and he’s showing why in April. At just 18-years-old, he’s doing things unimaginable for most, but expected for a player of his talent. Watson didn’t disappoint in a brief minor-league season (9 games) last summer, hitting .394 (13-33) with three doubles, two triples, five RBIs, 13 runs scored, and four stolen bases.
Watson Led NC State To CWS Semis In 2021: COVID-19 Stole Their Moment
Watson, who committed to NC State as a high school junior, led the Wolfpack to the semifinals of the College World Series in 2021, only to have to bow out after a COVID-19 outbreak ravaged the team.
Head coach Elliott Avent knew he was getting a special talent that would play in the majors. Avent didn’t know how long he’d have the talented Watson in the heart of his lineup and infield.
“We knew it would be difficult to keep him away from Major League Baseball,” Avent recalls.
When the Marlins took Watson in the 2021 draft, and showed him the money ($4.5 million), it became a reality. This was bound to happen from the moment NC State recruited Wilson from nearby Wake Forest High, also located on the outskirts of Raleigh, NC.
With the #16 pick in the draft, the Miami Marlins select high school shortstop Kahlil Watson!
He was projected in the Top 5 in each mock, making this A STEAL! The five-tool stud's fast hands lead to excellent barrel skills with power and a strong arm in the field! pic.twitter.com/jnbiuj9F7L
Wolfpack Coach Knew From His First Scout Of Watson
Assistant HC, Chris Hart was amazed by Watson’s skillset from the onset of scouting him. Hart likened him to former Los Angeles Dodgers, and current Texas Rangers star Corey Seagar who won the NLCS and World Series MVP in 2020. In and around the Carolinas, Seagar is considered the gold-standard of infield play. That’s high praise for the young “KW,” whom Hart believes measures up.
“He’s one of the — if not the best — hitter I’ve ever scouted in our area,” Hart insists. “Corey Seagar (a Charlotte native) jumps off the page over the last 15 years, but Kahlil is right in that range.”
It’s no doubt Watson is the “shortstop of the future” down in South Beach. He and second baseman Jazz Chisholm, who started 121 games last season while batting .250 with 18 homers and 23 stolen bases, are set to form a great infield duo for years to come.
It’s Chisholm’s spunk and flare that make him special. He and Watson look to be two picks. Jeter may have gotten correct during the Marlins rebuild, leaving the organization with young, strong cornerstone pieces — MLBbro infielders — with speed, power, charisma and supreme athleticism to build a winner around.
Major League Baseball recently updated their top 100 prospects over the weekend, which featured three bros in the top 30 like Cincinnati Reds pitcher Hunter Greene and shortstops Kahlil Watson of the Miami Marlins and C.J. Abrahams of the San Diego Padres. But there is a riser upon the horizon.
While those bros are becoming household names, future superstar Jordan Alexander Walker from the St. Louis Cardinals is making a name for himself. Walkers’ acclivity through the ranks is the stuff made of legend. But this is what the Redbirds expected when they selected the third baseman, 21st overall, in last year’s MLB Draft.
The 2020 MLB Virtual Draft was a watershed Draft for the revival of Baseball’s chocolate talent pipeline.
The selections of Ed Howard by the Cubs and Jordan Walker by the Cardinals mark the first time ever that two alumni of the MLB Breakthrough Series – a diversity-focused, amateur development experience by MLB & USA Baseball – have been selected in the first round of the MLB Draft.
We are the ones late to the party.
Jordan Walker homered on the first pitch of his pro career 👀
The buzz is beyond apropos as the 63rd- ranked prospect is batting .324 with 80 hits, 47 runs, 33 RBI, 22 doubles, nine home runs with eight stolen bases, and two triples for the Peoria Chiefs; Not to mention his glovework on the hot corner!
What can't Cardinals 2020 1st round pick Jordan Walker do?
Walker told KSDK News about his infield play, “I’m really working on my defense right now. I feel my defense is really behind on my hitting right now. Working with (Jose Oquendo) has been mind-blowing. He showed me plenty of other ways to be more consistent.”
He went on to say, “I trust him with any part of the game. It’s not just fielding, but he has given me tips on base running, hitting, but mainly fielding. He showed me different situations I should be thinking about, where I should be on the cut-off if it’s hit in left field, knowing the outfielder’s arm (strength), and things like that. Just the whole aspect of the game.”
Check out the size of this young man. He is not human.
The 6’5 240lb 19-year-old is strong as an ox with cat-like reflexes. The way the ball pops off of his bat leaves defenders shaking in their cleats.
The diamond has become a safe haven for 2019-2020 Georgia Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year, where he hit .457 with four home runs in just 16 games. He had an on-base plus slugging percentage of 1.555 before the Global pandemic shut down the rest of his senior season.
Those numbers had top-notch academia like Duke salivating over his presence before he ultimately took his talents to the show, where he signed a $2.9 million deal.
Walker (now 19), came in hot at age 18, while at the alternate site for the Cardinals.
His play outgrew his stay as he quickly got promoted to Palm Beach, where he later worked his way up to High-A Peoria, where he currently stands today.
@jwalker0522 First long ⚾️ in front of the home fans at Dozer Park ties the game at 2.
Let’s take a second to marvel at the kids’ genetics and God-given talent. He has the total package, and he hasn’t even grown into his man body yet. The future is looking bright, and he knows it.
“I’m (going to) work hard and try to get what I want. Control what I can control. If I put in the work, then hopefully, the results will show. My whole mentality is to get to the next level.”
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