Matt Wallner

Wallner is going to be one of the toughest evaluations in this year’s draft class, simply because scouts are convinced they aren’t seeing him at his best. Wallner was one of the best freshmen in the country in 2017, hitting 17 home runs while also impressing on the mound as a talented two-way player. He was less effective as a pitcher during his sophomore season, and then prior to this spring Southern Mississippi announced Wallner would miss some time due to a forearm strain. He was limited to DH duty early on and returned to right field a few weeks into the season, but he never returned to the mound. Even when he returned to the outfield, some scouts said they didn’t see nearly the same plus arm strength he’d shown in the past, and early in the season he seemed to struggle to get full extension in his follow-through at the plate. Before this spring’s forearm injury, there were some teams who liked Wallner more on the mound—he’s been up to 95 mph with his fastball in the past. But Wallner has told evaluators that he prefers hitting, and he hasn’t seen significant time on the mound for a year now. As a hitter, Wallner fits the profile of a right fielder with his plus arm, average speed and plus power potential. His swing generates plenty of loft, but also draws concerns about whether he’ll be an average hitter. Wallner has shown steady improvement as the season has worn on, although questions revolving around his forearm injury cloud his draft status.