Brock Wilken
3B Wake Forest
2021 WF stat line - 60-G, 254-AB, .272, 23-HR
1-9-23 - FIVE SUPER-SLEEPERS WHO COULD GO NO. 1 IN THE 2023 MLB DRAFT
BROCK WILKEN, THIRD BASE, WAKE FOREST
Wilken burst onto the scene on the Cape in 2021, posting an outlandish .302/.440/.519 slash as a teenager playing up against the best competition in the country. Wilken has been one of the most prodigious power hitters in college baseball the last two seasons totaling 40 homers, matching LSU outfielder Dylan Crews during that same period. Wilken’s slash line backed up a bit as a sophomore. After striking out at a 17.3 percent clip as a freshman, Wilken saw his K-rate jump to 24.2% last season. Jeren Kendall is the only college hitter to ever get drafted in the first round with a strikeout rate over 24% in their draft-eligible year. History suggests Wilken will need to see that bat-to-ball mature back to the career mean this spring.
What Wilken showed as a freshman at Wake Forest is hard to ignore. And his batted-ball metrics last season still point to an impact bat that can carry a team. At his best, Wilken’s exit velocities ranked just outside the 99th percentile in college baseball last season. He maxed out close to 111 mph last season. Simply put, there aren’t many players who hit the ball harder than Wilken.
In 2022, Wilken’s bat-to-ball woes may have stemmed from passivity at the plate. His 41.9 percent swing rate should probably jump a bit next season, especially early in the count. Wilken actually doesn’t chase outside the zone much, but he does struggle to hit the breaking ball in the zone at times. From this chair, ambushing pitches early in counts and getting pitchers off their best weapons could pay dividends next season. The approach late in at-bats is solid. The foundation is strong. It’s pretty easy to foresee a major jump in Wilken’s production in 2023.
Wilken is an average defender with solid hands and footwork, though his first step and fringy range do bring his defensive profile down a peg. That said, it’s comfortably a plus throwing arm, maybe more. That certainly helps make up for some of his heavy-footedness, especially on backhands to his right. He’s a fringe-average runner and likely won’t ever be a threat on the base paths. If Wilken posts a season like his 2021 campaign, he’ll shoot up boards as a potential solid average hitter with 70-grade raw power. His upside is that of an average defender who’s capable of posting several .260 seasons with 40 home run juice. Every team in baseball would happily throw $8 million at the promise of that kind of production.
12-14-22 - Sox Machine
WAY-TOO-EARLY 2023 MLB MOCK DRAFT
https://soxmachine.com/2022/12/way-too-early-2023-mlb-mock-draft/
26. New York Yankees: Brock Wilken, 3B, Wake Forest
The Yankees love drafting power and Wilken fits perfectly. The third baseman strikes out too much but shows massive power with a 6-4, 225 pound frame.
12-9-22 - 2023 MLB MOCK DRAFT 1.0
https://throughthefencebaseball.com/2023-mlb-mock-draft-1-0-pirates-taking-who/
18. Milwaukee Brewers: Brock Wilken, 3B, Wake Forest
Wilken reminds me of an Alec Bohm mixed with Nolan Gorman and a dash of Jace Jung. He knows how to find his pitch and take advantage of it. This past spring he hit 23 homers, and what’s scary is we haven’t even seen all of his power yet.
12-7-22 - MLB DRAFT 2023: WINTER'S MOCK DRAFT - https://www.prepbaseballreport.com/news/PBR/MLB-Draft-2023-Mock-Draft-First-Edition-4397815602?s=03 -
26
Yankees
Brock Wilken
3B
Wake Forest; Bloomingdale HS (FL)
Wilken has hit 40 homers combined in his first two seasons at Wake and won 2021 Cape League MVP honors after his freshman year. The Yanks have selected power-hitting college bats in each of the past three drafts. Let's make it four.
12-6-22 - 2023 MLB DRAFT - MOCK DRAFT 2.0 - https://www.prospectslive.com/prospects-live/2022-mlb-mock-draft-n78w7-st9r4-wa35p-2n5ls-8addg-ed27s?s=03 -
34. Minnesota Twins
Brock Wilken, Third Base, Wake Forest
Wilken has some swing-and-miss presently in his game, and that will need to be cleaned up if he’s to go this early in the draft, but it’s hard to ignore the outlandish power Wilken produces. He projects a future average defender at third base with a plus arm too. This is a potential middle-of-the-lineup thumper with 30 homer power if it all clicks.
12-2-22 - 2022 Fall Report: Wake Forest - https://d1baseball.com/fall-report/2022-wake-forest/?goal=0_98c95d11a2-2375b409ba-536911606&mc_cid=2375b409ba&mc_eid=b3ee91b95b -
The third Deac to play for Team USA last summer, Brock Wilken’s calling card has always been his gargantuan righthanded power, which has translated to 40 career home runs over his first two seasons. But he’s worked hard to become a more complete player since last spring.
11-28-22 - 2023 MLB Draft: College Top 100 Prospects - https://d1baseball.com/prospects/2023-mlb-draft-college-top-100-prospects/ -
21 Brock Wilken 3B Wake Forest ACC
11-12-22 - 2023 MLB Draft – Top 50 College Prospects -
https://www.prospects1500.com/mlb-draft/2023-mlb-draft-top-50-college-prospects/
21. Brock Wilken, 3B, Wake Forest – Wilken is a power-power prospect as he has a true plus arm and has as much raw power at the plate as anyone in college baseball. His freshman campaign saw him launch a program record 17 long balls in just 47 games, then following it up with 23 in 60 games a season ago. The power has translated to wood bats as he has 11 home runs in 68 games on the Cape. He adjusts well to all vertical sections of the zone, but can get beat away and strikes out often. In the field, his range suggests a future move to first, but he has decent hands and the aforementioned cannon of an arm just might allow him to stick at third.
11-4-22 - Perfect Game 2023 MLB Mock Draft 1.0 -
https://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=21422&src=hmrep&s=03
30. Houston Astros | Brock Wilken, 3B, Wake Forest
Wilken has some strikeout rate concerns, but there is a reason he was once considered a potential top-5 pick in the past. Wilken can offset some of the whiffs with his ability to draw walks at a high clip, while big-time power plays to all fields and shows up in-game often. Wilken has a chance to be a legit offensive threat if the hit tool holds up. -TH
10-19-22 - https://www.prospectslive.com/prospects-live/2022/1/15/2023-mlb-draft-prospects-fx4td?s=03 -
28 3B
Brock Wilken
Wake Forest
Wilken is a middle-of-the-order power bat with an advanced approach. He had huge freshman season in both ACC and Cape Cod League play. His raw power is prodigious, and his batting practice displays frequently contain balls hit hard in a way that no one else on the field can replicate. Swing and miss is in Wilken's profile, particularly with off-speed stuff away, but he has a good eye and possesses a selective approach befitting of a man that abhors striking out. Wilken really limits his strikeouts and fights deep into at-bats to ensure such an outcome. At third base, Wilken has solid enough hands and reacts well to batted balls, but isn't very rangy due to below average foot speed. The big plus here is a rocket arm, and that helps mitigate skepticism about him sticking at third as a pro.
10-16-22 - 2023 MLB Draft: an early look at the ACC
http://dugoutedgebaseball.blogspot.com/2022/10/2023-mlb-draft-early-look-at-acc.html?m=1&s=03 -
4. 3B Brock Wilken, Wake Forest.
Bat: R. Throw: R. 6'4", 225 lbs. Born 6/17/2002. Hometown: Valrico, FL.
2022: 23 HR, .272/.362/.602, 0 SB, 71/34 K/BB in 60 games.
In a conference full of power bats, you might not find one more prodigious than Brock Wilken. The Tampa-area product has already blasted 40 home runs over two years at Wake Forest, plus thirteen more over Cape seasons. He really cemented himself as a top prospect in this class with a fantastic run through the Cape Cod League in 2021, just as he was turning 19 years old, and when you include his more ordinary 2022 Cape season he hit .271/.400/.471 over 73 games. So long story short, Wilken has faced a huge sample of high level pitching and has consistently performed for a long time now. While Yohandy Morales is leaner, Wilken is a barrel chested 6'4" that looks like he would fit right in for Dave Clawson on the gridiron. He deploys that copious strength into big right handed swings, and the ball just jumps off his bat like few in college baseball. He can easily put it out to any field with plus power and does plenty of damage on mishits as well, and if he makes enough contact, he could profile for thirty-plus home runs a year at the major league level. Wilken is a patient hitter that works counts well, spoiling tough pitches until he gets a good one to hit, though he does get into trouble occasionally in those deep counts and his 24.2% strikeout rate last spring was a bit higher than you'd like to see. He'll probably always struggle with swing and miss, but that grinder mentality in the box will serve him well and he has done nothing but hit for a very long time now. He also possesses a plus arm that could give him a shot at third base, though he'll need to get more agile to stick there long term. At his ceiling, he could be a similar player to Pete Alonso.
10-14-22 - Cape Cod Top Prospect List - https://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=21362&s=03 -
No. 1 Prospect, 2021: Brock Wilken, 3B, Harwich (Wake Forest)
10-9-22 - Mazdak Darvari @darvari_mazdak
Brock Wilken (‘23 elig.) collected 2 hits today & has made a big name for himself since arriving to Wake. The 2x CCBL All and 2021 Official CCBL MVP has 40 career HRs for Wake Baseball. Has some of the class’ biggest raw power & the tools to stick at 3B; projected 1st rounder https://t.co/MgVCYERlFO
10-7-22 - Pittsburgh Pirates: Way Too Early Look at the 2023 MLB Draft - https://rumbunter.com/2022/09/14/pittsburgh-pirates-early-look-2023-mlb-draft/ -
The best power bat in this year’s draft class is Brock Wilken. Wilken is a third baseman from Wake Forest University. Wilken has been a great hitter throughout college, slashing .275/.363/.609 with 40 home runs. He’s absolutely ripped the cover off the ball with a .334 isolated slugging percentage and a pace of 47 home runs every 600 plate appearances. He also has a healthy 11.4% walk rate. The downside? He has a career 21.4% K-rate and struck out in 24.2% of his plate appearances last season.
Wilken’s glove at third base is fringy, though he has a powerful arm. The red flags are there, but so are the signs of potential. FanGraphs projects him to grow into 80-raw power eventually. Though how good his power will play will likely depend on if he can cut down on the K’s. If Wilken could improve in the strikeout department, he may go within the first five selections.
9-19-22 - Top 20 college prospects for '23 Draft -
https://www.mlb.com/amp/news/top-college-prospects-for-2023-mlb-draft.html -
20. Brock Wilken, 3B, Wake Forest
Wilken tied Wake Forest's freshman home run record with 17, then encored with 23 last spring while batting .272/.362/.602 -- albeit with 71 strikeouts. He might have the most raw power in the college class but there are questions about his ability to make consistent contact and remain at the hot corner, though he does have the requisite arm strength.
9-7-22 - https://www.prospectslive.com/prospects-live/2022-mlb-mock-draft-n78w7-st9r4-wa35p-2n5ls-8addg -
28. Houston Astros
Brock Wilken, Third Base, Wake Forest
Wilken has some swing-and-miss presently in his game, and that will need to be cleaned up if he’s to go this early in the draft, but it’s hard to ignore the outlandish power Wilken produces. He projects a future average defender at third base with an above average arm too. This is a potential middle-of-the-lineup thumper with 30 homer power if it all clicks.
8-3-2022 -
Ranking the Top 30 2023 MLB Draft Prospects -
17. Brock Wilken, 3B, Wake Forest
7-28-22 - Top Third Basemen In 2023 Draft -
https://www.prospectslive.com/prospects-live/2022/1/15/2023-mlb-draft-prospects -
31 3B
Brock Wilken
Wake Forest
Wilken is a middle-of-the-order power bat with an advanced approach. He had huge freshman season in both ACC and Cape Cod League play. His raw power is prodigious, and his batting practice displays frequently contain balls hit hard in a way that no one else on the field can replicate. Swing and miss is in Wilken's profile, particularly with off-speed stuff away, but he has a good eye and possesses a selective approach befitting of a man that abhors striking out. Wilken really limits his strikeouts and fights deep into at-bats to ensure such an outcome. At third base, Wilken has solid enough hands and reacts well to batted balls, but isn't very rangy due to below average foot speed. The big plus here is a rocket arm, and that helps mitigate skepticism about him sticking at third as a pro.
2023 MLB Draft mock
https://www.mlb.com/news/2023-mlb-draft-mock -
12. Rockies: Brock Wilken, 3B, Wake Forest
Teams looking for college power bats will certainly be watching Wilken closely. The third baseman hit 17 homers as a freshman, then six more in the Cape Cod League that summer. He followed that up with 23 more this past spring.
7-19-22 - 2023 MLB Draft: 10 College Players to Know -
https://baseballprospectjournal.com/2023-mlb-draft-10-college-players-to-know/ -
Brock Wilken, 3B, Wake Forest
Wilken is a big-time power hitter who uses all parts of the field. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound right-handed hitter is more of a power over average hitter and is aggressive every time he steps to the plate. His approach sometimes leads to strikeouts, as he has recorded 107 strikeouts to 57 walks in two seasons at Wake Forest.
Defensively, Wilken is an adequate defender and will play third base in pro ball due to his strong arm.
7-28-22 - 2023 MLB DRAFT - TOP 150 PROSPECTS
https://www.prospectslive.com/prospects-live/2022/1/15/2023-mlb-draft-prospects
31 3B
Brock Wilken Wake Forest
Wilken is a middle-of-the-order power bat with an advanced approach. He had huge freshman season in both ACC and Cape Cod League play. His raw power is prodigious, and his batting practice displays frequently contain balls hit hard in a way that no one else on the field can replicate. Swing and miss is in Wilken's profile, particularly with off-speed stuff away, but he has a good eye and possesses a selective approach befitting of a man that abhors striking out. Wilken really limits his strikeouts and fights deep into at-bats to ensure such an outcome. At third base, Wilken has solid enough hands and reacts well to batted balls, but isn't very rangy due to below average foot speed. The big plus here is a rocket arm, and that helps mitigate skepticism about him sticking at third as a pro.
All the 2023 Draft Prospects in the Mack’s Mets database can be viewed by going to www.macksmets.blogspot.com and clicking on 2023 DRAFT PROSPECT DATABASE found on the top, left of the front page of the site.
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