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Professional baseball rules dictate that a bat measures “not more than 2.61 inches in diameter ... the straight-line distance through the center of its thickest part, known as the barrel.” Some hitters seem to work with an enhanced sweet spot, Richmond Flying Squirrel Gavin Kilen among them. A middle infielder who bats left-handed Kilen, 22, was the first-round draft pick in 2025 of the San Francisco Giants, and he’s rated as the No. 5 prospect in the organization, according to MLB.com. Kilen was selected to play in the Futures Game, part of All Star Week in Philadelphia in July. The Futures Game is reserved for the premier prospects in the minors. This is Kilen’s first full season of professional competition, and he’s thriving on the field (.308 in 31 Double-A games), though currently off it, having joined the Flying Squirrels injured list on Aug. 25 with an undisclosed physical issue. He missed eight games heading into the Flying Squirrels’ weekend activity in Akron. People are also reading… The Wisconsin resident (Janesville) played in 109 games this season in the Giants’ chain (High-A, where he batted .282, and Double-A). Kilen at those two stops delivered 125 hits, with 37 doubles, four triples, and 10 homers. That means 41% of his hits were of the extra-base variety. “It’s your approach, what you’re trying to do. I think for myself, it’s just trying to hit a lot of low line drives,” said Kilen. “I know myself as a hitter. I make a lot of contact. And I think I use that to my advantage to just try and maximize how much consistent, hard barrels I can get. “And I’ve just really done a good job sticking to an approach we’ve been given by the coaching staffs and hitting coaches about how to beat pitchers.” The impressive number of doubles are very encouraging from such a young player in Double-A. The 5-foot-11, 187-pound Kilen will gain strength as he ages and works out, and become a smarter hitter. Many of those doubles would be expected to become home runs. As the Flying Squirrels drive through their final week of the season – after Richmond concludes its ongoing series in Akron, Chesapeake (Baltimore Orioles) visits CarMax Park Tuesday through Sunday – they could use Kilen’s punch at the plate. Richmond has already qualified for the Eastern League playoffs as winner of the Southwest Division first half. Pressure as a No. 1 Kilen was selected by Boston in the 13th round in 2022 out of high school, but declined to sign. After three college years, San Francisco drafted Kilen at No. 13 in the first round out of Tennessee. He signed for $5,247,500 and played in 10 Class A games last season. The key to easing pressure associated with being a high pick is “just playing,” said Kilen. “I think it’s treating it like it’s a kids’ game, and what a blessing to be able to go out there are compete as much as we get to … Just staying very consistent with your mindset and how you approach things.” High A vs. Double-A “A lot of guys (in Double-A) throw strikes, execute their pitches a little bit more,” said Kilen. “I think you see a little bit more of like a development in High-A, where guys are trying to figure that out. And then in Double-A, you’re getting a lot of those guys who have plus-stuff, but can also spot up … That’s probably the biggest adjustment, just a lot more strikes.” College vs. pro Kilen played two seasons at Louisville before spending his junior season of 2025 at Tennessee and being named first team All-American by Baseball America. The Volunteers coach that year was Tony Vitello, now the San Francisco Giants first-year manager. “It just kind of goes to playing six games a week is the biggest difference from college to pro ball,” sad Kilen. “So I think just being able to learn how to get myself ready to play every day, what kind of early work, what kind of mobility (drills), treatment, how to take care of my body, how to handle sleep at night (and) eat really well. “I think all of those things are such a bigger thing when you get to pro ball because there are so many games, a long season. I’ve been gone, on the road, even for camp (preparing for spring training) since a couple of days into January. So, it’s just figuring out, ‘How do I get myself to post every day?’” Baseball roots Both of Kilen’s grandparents on his father’s side were members of the military. “They bounced around a lot between Mississippi, Wisconsin, Virginia, Connecticut, a lot of other places,” said Kilen. His father, Christopher Kilen, was born in Portsmouth before moving to Janesville, Wisconsin. Christopher Kilen as a pitcher was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in 1993. Arm issues in college, following that draft, ended his organized baseball career. “He’s thrown (batting practice) to me my entire life,” said Kilen. “Probably since I was a little kid, I can always think of Wiffle Ball with my dad throwing. Even now when I’m home, I got to go home for the All-Star break for a couple of days. That’s what he does for work, too.” Christopher Kilen operates Kilen’s Cage, a baseball training facility in the Janesville area.