Gavin Kilen

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #20 prospect in 2025 draft
  School: Tennessee Drafted/Committed: Red Sox ’22 (13)
  Age At Draft: 21.3
  
  BA Grade: 50/High
  
  Kilen is a Wisconsin native who earned a reputation as a savvy pure hitter in high school and ranked as a top 150 prospect in the 2022 draft. The Red Sox selected him in the 13th round, but he didn’t sign and instead made his way to Louisville—where he played two seasons—and then Tennessee for the 2025 season. Kilen has a smaller, filled-out frame at 5-foot-11, 190 pounds and a game that is built on his contact skills and hit tool. His lengthy hitting track record and impressive in-zone contact rates in college create confidence that he’ll be an above-average hitter, but he has also made strides with his approach and impact in 2025. In the past, Kilen would get overly swing-happy and get away with it thanks to his feel for the barrel, but in 2025 he reined in his approach, dialed in his swing decisions and turned in a career-best year. Kilen’s increased selectivity—plus a better ability to use the ground and get into his back hip in his swing—led to a career-high 15 home runs and more hard-hit balls into both gaps. Kilen began the year at second base but moved over to shortstop down the stretch and is a reliable, fundamental defender who makes most of the routine plays. His fringe-average arm and fringy speed make him a better fit for second base, where he should be a perfectly respectable defender. While he lacks high-end tools, Kilen’s pure hitting ability and lengthy track record could make him a first-round pick.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 45 | Run:45 | Field: 50 | Arm: 45.
• Ranked #36 prospect in 2025 draft
  School: Tennessee Committed/Drafted: Red Sox ’22 (13)
  Age At Draft: 21.3
  
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/High
  
  Following a modest freshman season in 2023, Kilen broke out in 2024 and hit .330/.361/.591 with 35 extra-base hits and 41 RBIs. He has a short, compact stroke with some quickness in his hands. Kilen’s bat-to-ball skills are strong and he managed an impressive in-zone contact rate of 93%, including 95% against fastballs. He’s a hit-over-power offensive profile and might not grow into much more home run juice, though he should stick at a middle infield position, even if that’s more likely second base than shortstop in pro ball.
  
  Scouting Grades Hit: 55 | Power: 40 | Run: 45 | Field: 50 | Arm: 50
• Ranked #149 prospect in 2022 draft
  School: Milton (Wisc.) HS Committed/Drafted: Louisville
  Age At Draft: 18.3
  BA Grade: 45/Extreme
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 40 | Run: 50 | Field: 50 | Arm: 55
  The Wisconsin product continues the trend in this year’s draft of high-level prospects spawned from the Badger state. Scouts rave about the 5-foot-11 175-pound shortstop the same way they have of other Wisconsin prep bats like Gavin Lux, Jerred Kelenic and Noah Miller. With a sound offensive approach, Kilen possesses a compact lefthanded swing with good balance in his lower half. His exceptional bat-to-ball skills allow him to lace line drives to all fields and drive balls to the gaps. It may take some time for the 18-year-old to grow into added power, but the ingredients are there to mold into a solid, consistent bat. Kilen has impressed on the dirt as well. A fundamentally sound defender with very good footwork, Kilen has an arm that can sling it across the diamond at 92 mph. His throws are accurate, and his baseball IQ assists in his defensive capabilities. He is projected to stay on the dirt long term, primarily at shortstop, with the ability to move around the infield and contribute elsewhere if needed. Kilen is a solid-average runner and possesses the intangibles scouts identify outside of the main components of the game. It will be interesting to see if Kilen honors his commitment to Louisville in July. If so, expect to see an immediate contributor for the Cardinals next spring.