Newest Guardians Prospect Kahlil Watson Puts On A Show In Lake County Captains Debut

Kahlil Watson hits a home run in his first minor league appearance since the Miami Marlins traded him to the Cleveland Guardians.

The Cleveland Guardians made a buzzer-beater deal before the trade deadline on Tuesday evening. It was so close to the 6:00 deadline that the reports and team confirmation of the trade didn't release until almost a half hour after the deadline had officially passed.

However, Cleveland made the move and sent Josh Bell to the Miami Marlins. The short-term goal of this trade is to open up the DH position in order to give Jose Ramirez, Gabriel Arias, Tyler Freeman, and now Brayan Rochhio opportunities in the field and give them days off in which they can still hit.

The Guardians also received veteran infielder Jean Segura in this deal, but the team cut him as soon as the trade went down. 

There is another piece to this trade though. That would be the 2021 16th overall pick, Kahlil Watson.

The 20-year-old entered the draft right out of Wake Forst High School in North Carolina. He's unbelievably athletic and is already ranked as the team's 15th-best prospect, per MLB Pipeline. But even Chris Antonetti admitted there are some "maturity issues" that he needs to work through.

However, if he can work through all of this Watson can be a great piece to Cleveland's future. He made that very clear in his first game with his new team

Watson made his debut with the Lake County Captains, Cleveland's High-A Affiliate, on Thursday evening, and put on a show.

The very first pitch he saw was ripped into right field for a base hit. 

1 pitch, 1 hit.

Welcome to Lake County, Kahlil! pic.twitter.com/wO3ZlBhLtb

— Lake County Captains (@LCCaptains) August 3, 2023

It also didn't take long for Watson to collect his first home run and RBI in his new organization as he hit a solo shot in the sixth inning.

WATSON WATCHES IT SAIL!#Guardians No. 15 prospect Kahlil Watson (@KahlilWatson1) continues his stellar Lake County debut with his first homer as a Captain! pic.twitter.com/Qu00ah67Qm

— Lake County Captains (@LCCaptains) August 4, 2023

Of course, the dialogue is going to be that the Guardians acquired another infielder to go along with an already clogged position group throughout the organization. However, if Watson can grow into a solid ball player the team will find a spot for him. 

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Photo Credit © Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports