The 2021 Major League Baseball Draft will begin on July 11th and end on July 13th, taking part over a three day period of time. The Cincinnati Reds will have selections 17, 30, 35, and 53 in the first two rounds of the draft. Despite not selecting in the top five, or even the top 10, the Reds have the 4th largest bonus pool allotment to work with due to their compensation pick from losing Trevor Bauer in free agency, as well as a competitive balance round A pick (35th) that adds a lot of additional pool money.
For this draft scouting report series we are going to look at prospects rated 6th through 50th in a cumulative ranking based on the Baseball America, MLB Pipeline, ESPN, and Fangraphs draft rankings. The guys in the top five seem to have no chance of dropping to Cincinnati at 17, so we’re skipping them to focus a little more on guys with more of a shot to be Reds. The national rankings are updated throughout the month leading up to the draft, so there could be some slight changes from when the cumulative list was compiled and when you read this.
Kahlil Watson Scouting Report
Height: 5′ 9″ | Weight: 178
Bats: Left | Throws: Right | Position: Shortstop
Highest Ranking: 4th (MLB Pipeline & Fangraphs)
An above-average runner, the 5′ 9″ and 178 lb shortstop out of Wake Forest High School in North Carolina, Kahlil Watson has improved his stock this spring. He entered the year as a highly touted prospect but his senior season has seen his previous raw power that showed up in batting practice begin to show up in games. His bat speed jumps out at you and despite a compact size, the power is in there for 25+ home runs down the line. Looking at his raw tool grades he’s above-average in every category with either speed or raw power being the best tool in his arsenal depending on who you ask.
Defensively he’s currently playing shortstop and teams will likely keep him there as long as they can in the minors. There’s an expectation out there with some that he eventually winds up at second base – but there are believers out there that he’s a shortstop long term.
With arguably the highest upside in the entire draft class, Kahlil Watson could be a shortstop that hits for average, power, and steals a lot of bases. There’s some questions about how he will handle quality secondary offerings given that he simply hasn’t seen many of them in his high school career and that he’s got a big and aggressive swing
Kahlil Watson Video
You can read all of the 2021 MLB Draft Scouting Reports here.