Mikey
Watson

Verbally committed to Illinois-Chicago.

MIF Mikey Watson (Homewood-Flossmoor, 2027) was one of the biggest winners of the two-day event. Strong 5-foot-10, 186-pound athletic frame. The right-handed hitter operates from a balanced base with a small stride. Compact swing that is long through the zone. Watson posted a 6.55 60 time during Tuesday’s workout as well as an 85 mph infield velocity. Watson also had a max EV of 96.8 mph. An interesting 2027 MIF to keep an eye on.

Positional Profile: SS/3B
Body: 5-10.2, 185.9-pounds. Wiry, well-proportioned frame with twitchy athleticism present.
Hit: RHH. Wider base, short lift/place stride. Flatter path, works slightly uphill at times, line drive approach, works the ball to all fields, creates backspin. 70.4 mph bat speed with 9g of rotational acceleration.
Power: 97 mph max exit velocity (84.9 avg.); 367-foot max batted distance.
Arm: RH. INF - 85 mph. Short, high 3/4 arm action.
Defense: Two hand gather into body, works up, direct, steady glove, moves well laterally, natural feel for the position.
Athletic Testing: 6.55 runner in the 60-yard dash
Vizual Edge: 75.36 Edge Score.

Presenting a twitchy and athletic 6-foot-1, 175-pound frame, Watson showed well throughout the weekend. A natural defender up the middle at shortstop, he showed the type of athleticism and arm strength that should allow him to stick on the left side moving forward. The right-handed hitter also displayed an aggressive approach at the plate, paired with a confident look in the box. Name to know in Illinois’ 2027 class.

INF Mikey Watson (Brother Rice, 2027) is yet another athletic infielder to note from the day. He looks to have added some strength, as he now stands in an athletic 6-foot-1, 175-pound frame, still looking to have room to fill out in the future. He got things going with a 6.68 in the 60 yard dash, also reaching as high as 21 mph for his peak running speed. At the plate, the right-handed hitter has a compact, athletic swing that was on the barrel throughout his round, staying mostly up the middle and to his pull-side with a max EV of 95.5 mph, averaging 88 mph with a 339’ max distance. He’s a steady defender on the infield with clean and fluid footwork, translating his athleticism with easy range to both sides of his glove. He has an easy arm action that can play from multiple slots, topping at 80 mph across.

Positional Profile: SS/RHP
Body: 6-1, 175 pounds. Athletic, high-waisted frame.
Hit: RHH. Stands upright with quiet hands and a leg glide trigger. Downward path; simple swing; looks to drive the ball to the pull side. 67.8 mph bat speed with 8g of rotational acceleration.
Power: 96 mph max exit velocity (88.2 avg.).
Arm: RH. INF - 80 mph. Arm plays from multiple slots with ease.
Defense: Athletic actions with soft hands and smooth gather; range to both sides.
Athletic Testing: 6.68 runner in the 60-yard dash; 25.00-inch max vertical jump.
Vizual Edge: 69.18 Edge Score.

Watson showed off his athleticism when he hit a triple to the opposite field gap Saturday. Watson continues to impress with the bat. Finished 1-for-1 with two walks and an RBI today. 

Watson started the game for White Sox Ace, going 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, and striking out four. On the hill, Watson is an athletic mover downhill and got a lot of swings and misses in his two innings of work. The right-hander operated with a three-pitch mix. The fastball sat 77-78 mph with sinking action, curve sat 63-65 mph with feel for the zone, and flashed a changeup at 69 mph that is developing. 

Gavin Stanislawski, Anthony Cartolano, Aidan Dillon, Mikey Watson, Jordan Culbreath and Brady Cunningham are just a few 2027s in attendance that showed well and are heading to Brother Rice next year. Of them, Stanislawski had one of the top all-around showings on the day. On the mound, he has a polished repertoire with a clean upside arm and fastball that topped at 82 mph. Stanislawski also had one of the more intriguing swings on the day, working highly-repeatable, short and flat through the zone with a knack for hard contact.

Positional Profile: 3B/RHP
Body: 5-11, 155-pounds. Lanky, athletic build with room to fill.
Hit: RHH. Balanced setup, slightly open stance, minimal load. Rotational at times, bat-strength that stays on the barrel, works the middle of the field, loose through impact.
Power: 86 max exit velocity, averaged 81.8 mph. 331’ max distance.
Arm: RH. INF - 72 mph. Full arm action with the ability to throw on the move and from multiple slots, 3/4 slot.
Defense: Smooth defender, plays low to the ground, active feet plays through the baseball, body control on the move and covers ground with ease.
Run: 7.00 runner in the 60. 

Delivery: Loose levers, controlled tempo, drop/drive lower-half that works in-line, long down the mound, uses levers well.
Arm Action: RH. Long out of the glove into a 3/4 slot, loose arm.
FB: T75, 72-74 mph. Some jump out of the hand, low perceived effort.  T1877, 1802 average rpm.
CB: 60-62 mph. Slurvy action with depth, flashed sharp action, some feel to spin.  T2267, 2218 average rpm.
CH: 65-66 mph. Plays with fade to the arm-side at times.  T1595, 1460 average rpm.

Positional Profile: 3B
Body: 5-9, 135-pounds.
Hit: RHH. Upright stance. Short leg lift. Compact load into back hip. Some bat-speed, level path with a line-drive approach, stayed up the middle and opposite field.
Power: 77.5 max exit velocity, averaged 69.9 mph. 224’ max distance.
Arm: RH. INF - 71 mph. Long arm out of the glove, loose 3/4 slot.
Defense: Athletic actions, plays through the baseball with tempo, glove works out front, showed range.
Run: 7.47 runner in the 60. 

Positional Profile: RHP
Delivery: Drop/drive lower-half that works in-line with the plate, front foot lands slightly closed, repeats.
Arm Action: RH. Long arm swing out of the glove that moves into a 3/4 slot.
FB: T72.8, 70.0-72.3 mph. Rides through the zone with life to the arm-side.  T1811, 1669 average rpm.
CB: 58.8-61.3 mph. Sharp at times, 10/4 shape with some depth.  T1973, 1888 average rpm.
CH: 61.6-65.3 mph. Slight sinking action.  T1531, 1456 average rpm.