THEN MARCH 18, 2017: Five-foot-9, 145-pound left-handed hitting two-way player. Highest of follows in the 2019 Minnesota prep class.

OUTFIELDER:  Lean, athletic build with proportional strength. 6.95 runner in the sixty. Upright stance, simple load with leg kick trigger, hard line drive contact with middle/opposite side of field. Consistent hard contact with 88 mph exit velocity. Confident fielder with athleticism, uses feet, creates throwing angles, loose above average arm with carry to target. 89 mph arm strength from outfield.

PITCHER: On the mound: Controlled to balance point, aggressive down mound, stays closed with front side, has good direction to plate. Long buggy whip arm action producing 86-87 mph fastballs, touching 88 mph, with arm-side life. Tight rotation on 1/7 breaking ball; thrown with fastball arm speed. Changeup is work in progress, average feel, tends to shorten arm stroke.

 

NOW APRIL 7, 2022: Once a two-way prospect, Gilbert’s hitting has jumped ahead of his pitching. Ranked as a potential third rounder in our preseason Top 250, the 5-foot-9, 185-pound stick of dynamite has already elevated himself to the top 50 picks overall thanks to a huge slash line of .490/.611/.863 with 17 walks against eight strikeouts. He runs plus and has some serious left handed bat speed. At the plate he sets up with an open stance and has very good hand speed. With compact strength, he also has good pop to his pull side. Gilbert is also an above average defender in center field. He is sure-handed, gets good reads off the bat and runs precise routes to the ball. With all that stated, 65-grade arm strength is his top tool. A similar SEC player from the past is Dominic Fletcher (Arkansas) who went second round (75th overall) to the D-Backs in 2019 or as a current Major Leaguer think Kole Calhoun.