| |
Physical Description:
Undersized frame. Sturdy lower half with marginal remaining
projection in his upper body. Not that tall, looks heavier than
his listed weight. Athleticism has slightly decreased as he has
physically matured.
Mechanics: Throws
from a three-quarters arm slot. Starts in the middle of the
rubber, sliding to the first base side before he comes forward.
Does not use a wind-up. Loose, quick arm. Rotational delivery.
Medium-high leg kick. Stiff, violent arm action that is short
back and then quick forward. Arm can get out of sync and come
through early because of how quick it is. Low release height.
Does not stay closed consistently and falls off hard to the
first base side. Worked to streamline delivery in the low
minors. Used to have a lot more moving parts.
Fastball: 94-96 mph. Tops out at 97 mph. Live arm.
Pitch has a high spin rate and can play up in the zone. Can hold
velocity deeper into games, but tends to lose command. Fastball
will show bat-missing ability in the zone. Command and control
are works in progress. Still needs to show he can consistently
throw strikes, especially as he works deeper into games and gets
more fatigued. Control has improved over the last few years and
is ahead of command, but both will come and go within outings.
Struggles to command to his arm side and will yank the pitch to
the glove side when his arm gets out ahead of the rest of his
delivery. Potential plus offering with refined command.
Curveball: 77-80 mph. Long, 11-to-5 break.
Pitch shows tight rotation and depth. Really snaps it off
confidently and will throw in any count to hitters from both
sides of the plate. Has shown the ability to land it in the zone
or bury it down and away when looking for whiffs. At its best,
flashes major league-quality out pitch potential with
significant bat-missing ability, but struggles with consistency
both within outings and from start to start. Potential
above-average offering.
Changeup: 86-88
mph. Deceptive arm speed. Flashes late drop where it falls off
the table at its best. Will throw in any count to hitters from
both sides, but primarily used as put-away pitch against
left-handed hitters. Pitch is somewhat inconsistent and at times
will be on the firm side. Potential fringe-average offering. |
|
Cutter:
86-88 mph. 10-to-4 shape with short, horizontal break. Has shown
some ability to spin it, but shape is inconsistent. Still needs
refinement and lags behind his other secondary pitches, but does
show flashes. Clear fourth pitch. Potential fringe-average
offering.
Career Notes: Opening day
starter in the DSL in 2019. Participated in the Fall
Instructional League in 2019 and 2020. Had a breakout 2021
season with a strong showing in the FCL and in Low-A, jumping
from the back end of the SoxProspects rankings into the top 15
by season's end. Participated in the Fall Performance Program in
2021. Name was misspelled "Wilkelman" on official rosters until
April 2022 due a misunderstanding caused by its pronunciation.
Was not protected from selection in the 2022 Rule 5 Draft and
sources indicate he was very nearly selected. Was added to the
40-man roster in November 2023 to protect him from selection in
the Rule 5 Draft. Struggled early in 2023, but changes to his
off-field habits including getting more sleep and focusing
differently on between-starts work led to a significant
improvement. Participated in 2023 Fall Performance Program.
Participated in the Red Sox Rookie Development Program in
January 2024. Really struggled at times in 2024 such that on
multiple occasions, the organization had him throw shorter
outings in a piggyback or true relief role as part of his
development plan. Traded along with Kyle Teel, Braden
Montgomery, and Chase Meidroth for Garrett Crochet in December
2024 during the Winter Meetings.
Summation: Potential
up-and-down swingman. Ceiling of a leverage reliever. Still has
a wide variance of outcomes; will show four pitches, including a
fastball and curveball that stand out, but delivery and command
are more like that of a reliever. Still has a long way to go
developmentally and must significantly improve command and
control to reach his ceiling. Needs to throw more strikes and be
more efficient with his pitches to last deeper into games. Does
not have the typical size you look for in a starter. Has
simplified his delivery over the course of his career, which
should make it easier for him to keep his arm in sync with the
rest of his body, but still has considerable effort in his
delivery. If command does not improve, that, along with his size
and delivery, could push him to a short relief bullpen role, but
with his stuff, he could thrive in such a role or even in a
multi-inning role. Struggled out for the first few months of
2024, before improving as the season went along.
Links
Scout Chatter (9.14.2021)
Scouting Report Update (3.4.2022)
Countdown to Spring Training (3.7.2023) |
|
