Tag: will Watson

Former USC baseball prospect could be MLB draft sleeper

Former Trojan tries to seize an opportunity with the Mets.

In last week’s 2024 MLB draft, junior pitcher Will Watson from USC baseball was selected by New York Mets with the 203rd pick in the seventh round.

Watson transferred from Cal Lutheran — he appeared in 19 games, starting five. He posted a 2.97 ERA in 57 2/3 innings for the Mustangs, allowing 31 hits, walking 21, and striking out 82.

The Seattle Mariners selected the right-hander in the 20th round of the 2024 MLB draft as the 607th player overall, but he elected not to sign with his hometown club.

Instead, he transferred to the USC for his junior season. He appeared in 16 games for the Trojans, starting nine, and posted a 3.93 ERA in 50 1/3 innings with 44 hits allowed, 27 walks, and 46 strikeouts.

The 23-year-old Watson is considered a sleeper in this year’s draft because of his versatility and his ability to get ahead of the count by throwing strikes.

Watson throws from a low-three-quarter arm slot with a leg kick and long arm action through the back. His 6’1”, 180-pound frame is slightly on the smaller side, but he is athletic.

“We’re excited about the whole class,” Kris Gross, the Mets’ vice president of amateur scouting, said.

The Mets restocked their prospect coffers this year with players seemingly closer to being major-league ready, grabbing nine Division I college players among their first 10 selections in the 2024 MLB draft.

His fastball sits in the low-to-mid-90s, topping out at 97 miles per hour by radar, and when he is able to get on top of the ball and throw it up in the zone, he gets good results.

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