Milton coach Kris Agnew waves Gavin Kilen around third base during the WIAA Division 1 state baseball championship game in Grand Chute in 2022. All mock draft projection have the University of Tennessee star being selected in the middle of Sunday’s first round of the MLB draft.
Milton coach Kris Agnew waves Gavin Kilen around third base during the WIAA Division 1 state baseball championship game in Grand Chute in 2022. All mock draft projection have the University of Tennessee star being selected in the middle of Sunday’s first round of the MLB draft.
FILE PHOTO
What would a pro sports draft be without “experts” submitting mock drafts? Here is what some mock drafts forecast for Milton High graduate Gavin Kilen:
USA Today: 15. Boston: Gavin Kilen, INF, Tennessee. A Red Sox draftee out of high school, Kilen will do much better than the 13th round this time, with a strong offensive profile that saw him strike out just 27 times in 245 plate appearances, most of those against SEC pitching.
ESPN (David Schoenfield): 17. Cleveland Guardians, via trade with Cubs: Pick: Gavin Kilen, SS/2B, Tennessee. The Cubs deal this pick, outfielder Kevin Alcantara and reliever Luke Little to Cleveland for closer Emmanuel Chase and Cleveland’s third-round pick.
The Cubs have one of the best offenses in the majors but need pitching depth and stability in the closer role. Clase is signed through 2028 on a team-friendly deal, so he won’t crush the payroll as the Cubs look to re-sign Kyle Tucker in the offseason.
The Guardians deal from their strength to add an MLB-ready outfielder in Alcantara and select a very Guardians-like prospect in Kilen, who hit .357 for the Vols with 15 home runs with excellent contact skills as a left-handed hitter. His arm likely pushes him to second in pro ball.
CBS Sports: 20. Brewers. 2B Gavin Kilen, Tennessee. Slot value: $4,268,100. Kilen is one of those second-tier college tiers who fits just about anywhere in the 11-20 range. He’s not the speedy, super athletic type the Brewers typically target in the first round (Sal Frelick, Garrett Mitchell, etc.), but the pure hitting ability is up their alley. At this point in the first round, the top high-school infielders who are still on the board (Kayson Cunningham, Gavin Fien, Steele Hall, Daniel Pierce) would become candidates to fall out of the first round entirely and go to a team with extra picks and extra bonus pool money. Milwaukee is one of them. They hold the No. 32 pick as compensation for losing Willy Adames to free agency.
Jonathan Mayo, : 11. Athletics: Gavin Kilen, 2B, Tennessee. If they want to go with a high school bat, they’ll look at Steele Hall and Daniel Pierce. It still feels like a college hitter fits here, with Kilen getting the nod over Ike Irish or Marek Houston right now.
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