Austin
Wilhite

2/24/19: Built like Jimmy Rollins at 5-foot-9, 175 pounds, Wilhite is one of the top defensive shortstops in the college game. Has big league actions and projects to stay at shortstop in pro ball. Plus runner, light on his feet, has range in all directions and the arm strength and quick release from all angles to complete the plays that he gets to. He's especially good at coming in on slow rollers. He also made a spectacular play in the six-hole ranging far to his right and throwing a bullet for the force out at second base to thwart a potential UCLA rally. Offense is more of a challenge for Wilhite as he has holes in his swing with a stiff setup and little rhythm. He tends to feel for the ball as opposed to just letting the bat head fly. After a freshman year producing a .338/.410/.434 slash, he regressed to .249/.329/.404 last spring. As a true shortstop, Wilhite has Day Two draft value, but how early in that day remains to be seen and will be largely defined by his offensive adjustments this season.

8/1/18: Quick twitch infielder at 5’9/175 pounds. Wilhite plays hard and doesn’t get cheated in anything he does. Defensively he showed range and quick footwork at shortstop. There’s enough arm strength to stay at the position but he’s probably best suited for second base in the long run. Hands are especially quick on double play exchanges. At the plate he produces above average bat speed with a low effort swing. Uses his core exceptionally well and gets complete rotation from his lower half. Maintains extension with his barrel despite the rotational actions. Everything he hit had backspin and showed good carry after contact. In game he had a 2B to the backside gap and cruised into second base. After a strong showing as a freshman in 2017, Wilhite’s offensive production took a step back at Georgia Tech in 2018. It appears that he’s gotten back into a groove this summer and he should continue to perform his junior season. (D Jurik)

4/10/18: Sophomore Austin Wilhite impressed with his actions and arm at shortstop. He’s also a plus runner underway. Showed a longer swing path, but puts the bat on the ball as he lays the bat head back, gets on plane and was flat through the zone. He went 7-for-12 in the series with five RBI. (Seifert)