2025 MLB Draft Profile: Gavin Kilen
NAME: Gavin Kilen
SCHOOL: University of Tennessee
POSITION: SS
HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 5’11″/187 pounds
B/T: L/R
D.O.B: 3/28/2004
Previously Drafted: 13th round by Boston Red Sox in 2022.
Scouting Report
Gavin Kilen was a top 150 prospect in the 2022 MLB Draft and he was the #1 overall prospect from the state of Wisconsin according to Perfect Game. The infielder was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 13th round on day three but he decided to honor his commitment and attend Louisville instead of turning pro. The 5-11, 187 pounder had some of the best bat-to-ball skills in the 2022 prep class.
The Wisconsin prep was a member of the 18U U.S. National Team and was the #1 player out of the state as a high school senior in 2022. He won the Wisconsin High School State Championship as a member of the baseball team at Milton High School. It’s a public high school in Milton, Wisconsin that serves as home to around 1,000 students. He went on to earn many accolades in college as well.
MLB Pipeline ranked Gavin Kilen as the #17 overall player in the upcoming draft class. The left-handed hitter played primarily second base at Tennessee this year and became one of the best hitters in the country after starting his college career at Louisville. In 2025, Kilen hit .357/.441/.671 with 15 homers and a dramatically increased walk rate. The infielder possesses outstanding hand-eye coordination with a feel to hit and a quick left-handed swing.
In the past, Kilen would sometimes swing too often and not take enough walks while also putting the wrong balls in play often. The aggressive approach has been altered some in 2025 though. He has struggled with wood bats previously and has drawn comparisons to big league and fellow Wisconsin product Gavin Lux. At Louisville in 2023, the freshman hit .265/.321/.338 while slashing .330/.361/.591 with nine homers and a strikeout rate under 10% as a sophomore as well.
On a recent episode of the FutureSox podcast, Burke Granger of D1 Baseball told us that he believed in Gavin Kilen’s ability to play shortstop long-term. It’s informative as MLB Pipeline and Baseball America both list the player as a second baseman. He ranks #25 overall in the draft class for Baseball America. The publication noted that he was a top 150 prospect out of high school in 2022 and he possesses a “long track record of hitting and impressive in zone contract rates” with increased selectivity.
Kilen has a “smaller filled out frame with a game built on a hit tool and contact skills”. His ability to play shortstop and become more patient at the plate will be necessary going forward in order for the infielder to reach his ceiling. He could move fairly quickly to the big leagues as a high contact rate player with polish and instincts.
Why Would the White Sox Draft Gavin Kilen?
In a fairly recent mock draft from Carlos Collazo at Baseball America, he noted that the White Sox sent numerous high-level decision makers to the Tennessee regional and he surmised that the club had some level of interest in Gavin Kilen. He seems to be more of a backup plan according to sources who have reached out to us here at FutureSox.
The White Sox are pretty familiar with the player as the scouting department is always laser focused on Midwest talent. Kilen was a standout as a Wisconsin prepster and the club has been scouting him for quite some time. He also fits the mold of what this front office has looked for in regards to bat-to-ball skills but they’ve been prioritizing players with higher walk rates recently.
Kilen is a college bat in a class that lacks them overall. He can really hit and he would theoretically fit in nicely with the rest of the young core in Chicago as a quick mover from the SEC and the college ranks. It’s still likely that the club will prioritize the prep ranks if they decide to choose an infielder with the #10 overall pick but the Tennessee infielder seems like an option for a potential underslot quick mover.
Mock Draft Outcomes
In my initial Mock Draft 1.0 here at FutureSox, I projected Gavin Kilen to the Houston Astros with the #21 overall pick in the first round. In the most recent attempt at a projection from Jonathan Mayo of MLB Pipeline, Kilen was mocked to the Athletics at #11 overall while the veteran prospect writer did a tandem projection with Jim Callis the previous week and had the Tennessee infielder to the Athletics in that version as well.
Keith Law of The Athletic projected Gavin Kilen to the Chicago Cubs with the 17th overall pick in Mock Draft 2.0 at the publication. Kiley McDaniel of ESPN projected the left-handed hitting infielder to the Tampa Bay Rays at #14 overall but he linked the club to multiple high upside prep players as well. In the most recent mock draft at Baseball America, Carlos Collazo projected Kilen to the Boston Red Sox at #15 overall.
