On 12-5-24, MLB.com posted their top 100 prospects in the
upcoming draft. Beginning 2-2-25, we will post it in backward order, ending
with the pick for 1.1
https://www.mlb.com/prospects/2025/draft/
#28 Gavin Kilen
2B Tennessee
20/years old
5' 11" 180
DRAFTED - 2022, 13th (399) - BOS
Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 45 | Run: 50 | Arm: 50 |
Field: 55 | Overall: 50
Kilen displayed some of the best bat-to-ball skills in the
2022 high school class but slid to the Red Sox in the 13th round because he was
set on attending Louisville. He spent two years with the Cardinals, boosting
his OPS from .659 as a freshman second baseman to .952 as a sophomore shortstop
before deciding to transfer to Tennessee. He'll slide back over to second this
spring as he plays alongside projected first-round shortstop Dean Curley.
With outstanding hand-eye coordination, a quick left-handed
swing and feel for the barrel, Kilen continues to excel as a contact hitter.
The problem is that he swings and chases too often, still putting pitches in
play but without much authority and rarely drawing walks (just seven in 54
games last year). He may not have more than average raw power, and while his
hitting ability should allow him to get to most of that pop, he has yet to
prove he can drive balls in the air with wood bats.
Kilen's skills stand out more than his tools, with his speed
and arm strength both grading as average. He has good actions and instincts but
the game speeds up on him, and his arm is a bit stretched at shortstop. He's a
solid defender at second base and could develop in a similar fashion to fellow
Wisconsin prep product Gavin Lux.
2-10-25
FLO Baseball - 2025 MLB Mock Draft 1.0-
https://www.flobaseball.tv/articles/13555752-2025-mlb-mock-draft-10-nats-stunner-with-the-no-1-pick
No. 41 Tampa Bay Rays: Gavin Kilen, IF, Tennessee Baseball
Another traded pick, this time by the Athletics in the
Jeffrey Springs trade.
The 5-foot-11, 185-pound second baseman hit 330/.361/.591
with 35 extra base hits for the national champions last season.
1-22-25 –
Just Baseball: 2025 MLB Draft – Top 80 College Prospects
https://www.justbaseball.com/college/mlb-draft-top-college-prospects/?s=03
17. Gavin Kilen – 2B
HT/WT: 5’11/180 | Bat/Throw: L/R | School: Tennessee | Age:
21.3
A highly decorated recruit out of high school, Kilen enjoyed
a breakout sophomore campaign where he slashed .330/.361/.591 with nine home
runs in 54 games.
His pure contact skills are exceptional, producing a contact
rate of around 85% in 2024, including an astonishing 93% in-zone contact rate.
Kilen feasts on heaters and seldom misses them.
Kilen’s power took a significant jump in 2024, as he now
possesses average power to the pull-side and he’ll hammer the gaps for doubles
on the regular. His chase rates are extremely bloated due to his aggressive
swing rate, as he swings over 50% of the time.
He has the contact prowess to manage his production, but this
is something to keep an eye on against SEC pitching in 2025.
Defensively, Kilen has the chops to handle shortstop
long-term. He’s got average to above-average arm strength that’s paired with
strong instincts, solid range, and prototypical size for the position. He’ll
join a highly talented Tennessee team that is looking to repeat as national
champions for the 2025 season.
1-16-25 -
An Early Look at the Top 30 Prospects for the 2025 MLB Draft
https://lastwordonsports.com/baseball/2025/01/15/top-30-prospects-2025-mlb-draft/#google_vignette
28. Gavin Kilen, 2B, Tennessee
Bat-first 2B with excellent feel to hit and the ability to
use the whole field. Showed solid promise with some pop at Louisville, his
previous school, and now more eyes will be on him paired up with his double
play-mate in Curley.
12-23-24 - Top 50 college baseball prospects for 2025
MLB draft, per D1Baseball
40 Gavin Kilen SS/2B
Tennessee
12-10-24 - FSS PLUS:
2025 MLB Mock Draft: So it begins…
https://futurestarsseries.com/2025-mlb-mock-draft/
6. Pittsburgh Pirates
Gavin Kilen, SS — Tennessee
HOMETOWN: Milton, Wisconsin
HEIGHT: 5-11
WEIGHT: 180
BAT/THROW: L-R
Kilen’s brand is that of a sound hitter with impact still
coming. He is extremely aggressive in the box and tends to swing at more
pitches than he probably should resulting in well-below average chase rates.
Still, he battles, draws long counts, and has largely avoided bloating his
strikeout rates. There’s real feel to hit with elite bat-to-ball skills and a
willingness to use all fields.
Kilen saw his exit velocities make huge strides in 2024
highlighted by a peak batted-ball event north of 111 mph. He’s growing into
average raw power and could be a threat to hit north of 15 homers in 2025. He’s
also arguably the top defensive shortstop available in the class.
A good bat and a good get for the Buccos.
9/22/24
2025 Draft Prospect - IF - Gavin Kilen - Tennessee
link–
SS GAVIN KILEN (LOUISVILLE TO TENNESSEE)
The Volunteers lost a ton of bats in the MLB Draft, but hit
the transfer portal hard and should be able to stave off some of those missing
pieces. Kilen will play a major role in that.
He produced some of the best contact rates in the NCAA last
year, posting some insane contact and in-zone contact rates. He’s a bit
aggressive, which led to a high chase rate, but that didn’t lead to significant
Whiff or an increase in strikeouts, he has put up pretty good numbers in both
categories.
The big thing about Kilen’s offensive game is he saw a rise
in pull-side power, with his max exit velocity getting up to 111 mph.
Defensively, Killen has solid range at shortstop and enough arm strength to
stick at the position. His quick reaction time helps him get to the ball with
ease. He should be a solid contributor to the Volunteers looking to be repeat
National Champions.
link -
Gavin Kilen
B/T: L/R
Ht./Wt.: 5-11 / 180
Class: Sophomore
Hometown: Milton, Wis.
High School:Milton
Prev School: Milton HS
CAREER HONORS
• 2024 All-ACC Third Team
• 2023 All-ACC Academic Team
2024: Started 54 of 56 games at shortstop ... Earned third
team All-ACC honors finishing with a .330 average, 23 doubles, three triples
and nine home runs ... Drove in 41 and scored 39 times ... Led the Cardinals in
hits, doubles and total bases ... His 23 doubles were tied for the fifth most
in a single season in program history ... Set career highs in RBIs (3) and runs
(4) in the win over St. Bonaventure on Feb. 23 ... Tallied five hits in the
three-game series against Youngstown State ...
Had a career night against Morehead State on March 6, hitting
his first career home run and adding three doubles as part of a 4-for-5 game
... Homered in three consecutive games with home runs in each of the first two
games against Northwestern ... Went 2-for-4 with a home run and a career-high
four RBIs against Lipscomb on March 12 ... Became the seventh player in
Louisville history to hit for the cycle, going 4-for-5 against Virginia Tech on
March 16 ...
Notched his third four-hit game of the year, driving in two
against Kentucky on April 16 ... Hit a solo homer in the win over Miami on
April 19 ... Went 2-for-4, including a first inning grand slam against WKU on
April 23 ... Hit a two-run homer in the win over NKU on April 30 ... Hit a
ninth inning two-run walkoff homer in the series opener against Notre Dame on
May 16.
link -
Kilen led Milton High to its first-ever Division I state
title this year, scoring the winning run in the championship game. The
left-handed hitter has also seen some time with Team USA’s Under 18 squad,
batting .231 with two RBIs over seven games.
“We’ve liked him for a long time now,” Red Sox amateur
scouting director Paul Toboni said. “He’s obviously a premium position player,
being a shortstop, but then he’s got a really advanced feel in the box. The
game moves pretty slowly for him.”
Contact skills and hand-eye coordination are Kilen’s main
characteristics at the plate, traits that could make up for a current lack of
power. The 18-year-old is a ground-ball hitter with the ability to send line
drives all over the field.
Kilen’s future at shortstop is debatable, as MLB Pipeline
rates his speed and strength at “more average than plus,” which could trigger a
future move to second base. Currently committed to Louisville, it’s unclear
whether Kilen will sign with Boston as a 13th-round pick, but it still made
sense for Boston to try to snag a Top-100 prospect that late in the Draft
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