Kahlil Watson is one of the Miami Marlins’ most promising young prospects. The 19-year-old shortstop was selected in the first round of the 2021 MLB Draft and is projected to make his Major League debut by 2024.
However, if he continues to make questionable decisions like the one that got him ejected from a game last week, and subsequently suspended, he might have a hard time staying eligible to play.
According to FishStripes.com, while playing for Marlins’ Single-A affiliate, the Jupiter Hammerheads, Watson lost his cool after a close check-swing call went against him and he struck out the following pitch. Watson responded to the strikeout by pointing the bat at the first-base umpire who made the check-swing call and then pretending to fire it at him as if it were a gun.
Here is the video of Kahlil Watson making a “machine gun” gesture at the base umpire. pic.twitter.com/wSx0S9xJFg
— ramsey (@jackwramsey) July 3, 2022
Watson was immediately ejected from the game and has not played since. MLB Network contributor Craig Mish reports that Watson’s suspension could last into next week.
Marlins top prospect Kahlil Watson remains out of the Jupiter lineup due to disciplinary reasons. He’s been out a week, and it could extend into next week as well, per sources. Not clear on exact timetable.
— Craig Mish (@CraigMish) July 8, 2022
He made a shooting gesture with his bat toward an umpire after a strikeout.
— Craig Mish (@CraigMish) July 8, 2022
Watson’s frustration was likely fueled by his strikeout struggles this season. So far this year, Watson has struck out 99 times, which is tied for the eighth-most of all Low-A players. This is also not the first time Watson has left a game for non-injury-related reasons, according to FishStripes.
In any case, pretending to shoot an umpire during a game is one of the worst ways a player could possibly express disagreement with a call, especially at a time when gun violence is so prominently in the national headlines.
