Gavin Kilen was drafted by a Major League Baseball team for the 2nd time, but this time the Tennessee star shortstop didn’t have to wait as long.
Originally drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 13th round of the 2022 MLB Draft, Kilen heard his name called a little earlier on Sunday night in Atlanta when the San Francisco Giants grabbed him with the 13th overall selection. So, after a banner season wearing Volunteer orange, Kilen was drafted by a franchise that wears a different shade of orange.
Kilen spent the first 2 years of his college career at Louisville before transferring to Tennessee for the 2025 season. He was a smashing success in Knoxville as a junior, batting .357 with 75 hits, 15 home runs, 13 doubles, 4 triples, 46 RBIs, 60 runs scored, 30 walks and 6 stolen bases. If that offensive stat line wasn’t enough to make the Giants salivate, Kilen also posted a .963 fielding percentage this past season with 52 putouts, 78 assists and just 5 errors.
He was also remarkably durable in 2025, appearing in 53 games, including 52 starts for a Tennessee program that was coming off a national championship the year before. Kilen was drafted as a shortstop despite spending most of the 2024-25 season at 2nd base. Kilen was a first-team All-SEC selection this past season as a 2nd baseman, but apparently the Giants like Kilen better at shortstop.
It looks like Kilen’s decision to play college baseball instead of settling in with the Red Sox has paid off, with Kilen being a 1st-round selection on Sunday night. Kilen was MLB Pipeline’s No. 21 overall draft prospect, but he did a little better than that when San Francisco came calling at No. 13.
The Giants celebrated the pick with this post:
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
