Kahlil Watson

Kahlil Lorenzo Watson

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 5' 9", Weight 178 lbs.
• High School Wake Forest High School

• Born April 16, 2003 in Chase City, VA USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Kahlil Watson was one of the more interesting stories of the 2021 Amateur Draft. After having been forced into inactivity his junior year of high school by the Coronavirus pandemic, he hit .583 with power in his senior year and emerged as a member of an unusually talented group of high school shortstops heading into the draft, a group that also included Jordan Lawlar, Marcelo Mayer and Brady House. All four were expected to go early, but Watson was ranked the #4 overall draft prospect and was even talked about as a potential first overall pick by the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates were known to be looking at a number of position players for their pick, in addition to the highly-touted college pitchers from Vanderbilt University, Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter. In the end, the Pirates made a bit of a surprise choice in selecting C Henry Davis from the University of Louisville, and because a few of the teams that followed also made unexpected choices, Watson fell down the draft board all the way to the 16th pick, after all of the names mentioned above had been selected. It was the Miami Marlins who were the lucky ones, getting a player who was immediately described as the "steal of the draft", and one whom they had not expected in their wildest dreams to still be available at that position.

His first taste of pro ball in 2021 went swimmingly, as he batted .394 with an OBP of .524 in 9 games with the FCL Marlins. The going got tougher in 2022, during he which he played in the Florida Complex League again but also with the Jupiter Hammerheads of the Florida State League. His combined batting line in 88 games was .233/.296/.395 as he split his time between shortstop and second base. He started the 2023 season in the Midwest League with the Beloit Sky Carp. In 2023, he played 58 games for Beloit (and another 2 on a rehabilitation assignment with the FCL Marlins), hitting .206 with 7 homers and 22 RBIs. On August 1st, he was traded to the Cleveland Guardians alongside veteran major league infielder Jean Segura in return for 1B/DH Josh Bell. He was the key player in the deal for Cleveland, however, as the Guardians released Segura as soon as they had acquired him, his inclusion in the deal being solely to even things out from a monetary point of view.

Further Reading

• Christina De Nicola: "From 'no way' to No. 16, Marlins land Watson: Prep star SS from North Carolina had potential as No. 1 overall pick", mlb.com, June 12, 2021. [1]