Brock Wilken Explained

Brock Wilken
Team:Milwaukee Brewers
Number:90
Position:Third baseman
Birth Date:17 June 2002
Birth Place:Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.
Bats:Right
Throws:Right

Brock Caleb Wilken (born June 17, 2002) is an American professional baseball third baseman in the Milwaukee Brewers organization.

Amateur career

Wilken attended Bloomingdale High School located in Valrico, Florida.[1] As a junior in 2019, he batted .468 with 12 home runs and 26 RBIs over 25 games.[2] [3] His senior season in 2020 was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but he still hit four home runs over eight games.[4]

After not being selected in the 2020 Major League Baseball draft, Wilken enrolled at Wake Forest University and instantly became their starting third baseman as a freshman in 2021.[5] Over 47 starts, he slashed .279/.365/.617 with 17 home runs, a team-high 44 RBIs, and 41 runs scored.[6] His 17 home runs were most by a Wake Forest freshman ever.[7] After the season, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League,[8] [9] and was named the league's Most Valuable Player after batting .302 with six home runs and 26 RBIs over 38 games.[10] As a sophomore in 2022, Wilken appeared in sixty games and batted .272 with 23 home runs and 77 RBIs.[11] He returned to play for Harwich that summer, and was named a league all-star.[12] [13] [14] He was chosen to try out for the USA Baseball National Collegiate Team, but was not selected.[15] He entered the 2023 season as a top prospect for the upcoming MLB draft.

Professional career

Wilken was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the first round with the 18th overall pick in the 2023 Major League Baseball draft. He signed with the Brewers on July 17, 2023 for $3,150,000.[16] Wilken played for the rookie–level Arizona Complex League Brewers, High–A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, and Double–A Biloxi Shuckers, accumulating a .285/.414/.473 batting line with five home runs, 29 RBI, and four stolen bases across 47 total games.[17]

Wilken began the 2024 season back with Biloxi. On April 11, 2024, Wilken suffered multiple facial fractures after he was hit in the face by a pitch from Mississippi Braves reliever Domingo Gonzalez.[18]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: What's with all the power hitters in Tampa Bay this season?. Rodney. Page. May 3, 2019. Tampa Bay Times.
  2. Web site: Bloomingdale Baseball Catcher Brock Wilken Has Historic Season. Nick. Nahas. July 17, 2019. Osprey Observer.
  3. Web site: High school baseball players to keep an eye on in Tampa Bay. Rodney. Page. February 21, 2020. Tampa Bay Times.
  4. Web site: Wilken, Minacci, Centala, Lee, DeVito head area FACA 2020 honorees. Jarrett. Guthrie. 813 Preps. 20 May 2020 .
  5. Web site: Freshman Brock Wilken Delivers Win For Wake Forest. Joe. Healy. February 19, 2021. Baseball America.
  6. Web site: 2022 Atlantic Coast Conference College Baseball Preview. Bradley. Smart. February 1, 2022. Baseball America.
  7. Web site: 9 of the hottest hitters in the Cape Cod Baseball League, right now. Wayne. Cavadi. July 20, 2021. NCAA.com.
  8. Web site: #25 Brock Wilken . pointstreak.com . June 25, 2023.
  9. Web site: Cape League: Wilken's night highlights impressive season at the plate. Adam. Cole. July 19, 2021. Cape Cod Times.
  10. Web site: Mariners Third Baseman Wilken Crowned Cape League MVP. Brad. Joyal. August 11, 2021. Cape Cod Chronicle.
  11. Web site: Five Players to Watch This Summer. www.capecodbaseball.org.
  12. Web site: #25 Brock Wilken . pointstreak.com . June 25, 2023.
  13. Web site: Wake Forest Baseball Summer Assignments. DemonDeaconDigest.com.
  14. Web site: Reigning Cape League MVP Wilken Back In Harwich For Limited Time. Cape Cod Chronicle.
  15. Web site: Wilken, Santucci Bolster Mariners After Team USA Tryout. Cape Cod Chronicle.
  16. Web site: Brewers ink top 2 Draft picks, Wilken and Knoth. MLB.com. July 17, 2023. July 17, 2023.
  17. Web site: Brock Wilken - Stats - Batting. April 26, 2024. fangraphs.com. en.
  18. Web site: Brewers' Brock Wilken, 2023 first-round pick, suffers facial fractures after being hit by pitch. April 26, 2024. cbssports.com. en.