Diamondbacks pick OF Marcus Wilson in Comp Balance Round B
By Joseph Jacquez
The Diamondbacks wrapped up Day 1 of the 2014 First Year Player Draft with back to back picks in Competitive Balance Round B at no.69 and no.70. Pick no.69 was from the San Diego Padres. Competitive Balance Rounds are designed to give small market and small revenue clubs the chance to grab bonus picks in the draft. The Dbacks selected their first position player with this pick, going with OF Marcus Wilson from Gardena, CA, another high school player.
As recently as last month, Wilson was projected to be a first round pick, so its quite a surprise that Wilson fell to the Diamondbacks this far in the draft, but this is another solid pick by the Snakes. This is what bigleaguefutures.net had to say about Wilson:
“Body: Wilson has broad shoulders with a lanky body. He has long leg and arms. He has a ton of room to develop.
Swing: Wilson starts standing upright with an open stance. He has a long stride towards the pitcher and plate. Marcus shows a good weight transfer to his back leg and a short hand draw. He has a short swing with above average bat speed. He shows some lift in his swing which translates to above average power potential. He also shows very good weight transfer through his swing. I can see his swing translating into an above average hit tool and power tool.
Base running: Wilson runs a 6.5 in the 60 yard. This puts him at 70 runner on the scouting scale. He also shows very good baserunning instincts. He is a base stealing threat.
Defense: Wilson has all the tools to stick at CF and be a plus defender there. He has a plus arm has been reported at 92mph from the OF. He shows good instincts in the OF but needs a little work on his routes, which isn’t unusual for HS players.
Summary: Marcus Wilson is one of the most underrated players in this draft. His body type can be compared to Eric Davis. He is a potential 5 tool player and could be an impact player at the next level.”
Wilson has tremendous speed. He is an Arizona State commit, and has not yet turned 18. He is probably one of the most underrated prospects in this year’s draft.