Marlins find 'very interesting' 19th-rounder

In a day and age when a simple Google search can provide endless information, there were few results for Marlins 19th-round pick Noah Williamson.

"What can I tell you about him? He's an interesting story," Marlins director of amateur scouting DJ Svihlik said Tuesday following the 20-round MLB Draft. "We had a lot of challenges over the course of the last year, as you know, as we've talked about. Noah slipped through the cracks. There's a really good chance that most people would say the same thing you just said: 'We don't know.' We don't know who that player is when his magnet was pulled."

• Marlins' Draft Tracker

According to a story by the Yakima Herald-Republic, the 20-year-old outfielder spent time at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego before attending two junior colleges -- Santa Barbara (Calif.) City College and Everett (Wash.) Community College -- only for the COVID-19 pandemic to cancel games. So he agreed to a 10-day contract with the Yakima Valley Pippins of the West Coast League, which encompasses Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and Alberta.

Over the past month, Svihlik's scouting department spent time at various summer collegiate baseball leagues, including the West Coast League. Three weeks ago, Marlins scout Scott Fairbanks called Svihlik about a 6-foot-4, 220-pound Las Vegas native who was "absolutely tearing up" the competition and leading almost every offensive category.

"He's got massive raw power, he can run, he's athletic -- and that's all we have," Svihlik said. "So it was a really exciting pick for us, and we're going to probably send some guys up to watch him play over the next week or so."

• From 'no way' to No. 16, Marlins land Watson

While scouting reports are hard to come by for Williamson, Yakima Valley coach Kyle Krustangel said he is the club's fastest player and possesses the best arm, power and exit velocity. Krustangel thinks those tools and work ethic could one day earn him a spot on a Major League roster.

Williamson does have a YouTube channel showcasing his highlights. That's not how the Marlins discovered him, but it's certainly a creative way to be seen. Thanks to his summer league performance, his play is drawing attention. Williamson recently signed to play for the Oregon Ducks.

"We saw the player because our scout is really good up there, and he works really hard, he really likes players, he's really dialed in," Svihlik said. "He had an opportunity to see him early. He went and did some Cape Cod work for us for the 2022 Draft, and then he flew back to Washington and continued to watch the player play. And as we were going through the Draft day, the momentum tended to build for that player. He fell into a category of player that we were trying to acquire, and that's how it happened.

"We're really excited to get him. It's a very interesting selection, but a selection I'm very excited about. I'm excited to meet the young man and continue to scout him over the next week or so, so we can make a decision on what we want to do."