CHI
Matt Wallner, OF
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Scouting report
The cement on Wallner's body is dry and he was one of the older hitters at Minnesota's 2020 instructs, the kind of player whose grade is much more likely to move because of superlative performance rather than noted physical or technical development in a backfield setting, so his report is basically the same as last year's. Wallner hit for power all three years of college, even while pitching part-time as a freshman and sophomore, but an arm injury kept him off the mound in his junior year, where some clubs thought he had real pro potential. He had some of the most explosive raw thump in the 2019 draft class, drawing 70 or 80 grades from scouts, and will hit balls 10 rows into the bleachers even when he doesn't get fully extended. He has some moderate swing-and-miss issues characteristic of hitters who have power-driven approaches, which were made more evident after Wallner signed. But he's also willing to take a walk, so the power and OBP give him a shot to be a regular in right field. He'll more likely settle into the larger half of a platoon role. (Fall Instructional League)