Phillies Take Left-Handed Hitting College Outfielder in Second Round
Earlier this afternoon, the Phillies selected South Alabama outfielder Ethan Wilson with their second round pick of the 2021 MLB Draft.
If you’re looking for a deep dive into Wilson’s makeup, you can grab that at any number of draft sites. Here’s the quick rundown:
- The left-handed hitting Wilson is considered one of the draft’s better college bats. Some evaluators had him slotted as a first rounder. MLB.com draft expert Jim Callis had Wilson going to the Twins at No. 26 (where they selected local product Chase Petty). Notably, Baseball America rated Wilson as the No. 26 prospect in the draft. MLB.com had him as the No. 35 overall prospect and ESPN had him at No. 42.
- He hit 17 homers to break South Alabama’s freshman record in 2019, a season in which he was named the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year.
- He has since changed his approach to increase contact. As a result, he sacrificed some power in 2021. After striking out 45 times in 220 at-bats as a freshman, he struck out just 21 times in 211 at-bats (253 plate appearances) this past season for an 8.3% strikeout rate. That’s particularly impressive given he walked 33 times. A patient approach coupled with his contact rate and respectable power keep Wilson in the mix as a possible middle of the lineup hitter.
- He’s an average athlete in terms of speed and range. He projects as a corner outfielder and will likely find himself in left field, but he’s not exactly Pat Burrell out there. He can move a little bit, as you will see below.
And here he is swinging it.