Matt
Wallner

4/15/16- De-Commit from U. North Dakota. Receiving significant D1 interest. 2-way player; has made velo jump since last spring on mound.

2/28/15- MN Preseason All-State
6-foot-4, 190-pound 2-way player with a tall athletic build who ran a 7.06 60. Highly projectable body/ athletic player who opened eyes at event. 90 mph exit velocity off tee. Shows plus power to gaps with short explosive swing and quality separation and extension. Hands are tight to chest causing him to hook baseballs at times but overall projects very well at the plate with gap to gap approach and leverage in swing. Ability to cover ground in outfield. Above average actions moving laterally and fielding. Needs to improve transfer/throwing footwork and use leverage and momentum. Arm works clean. High release point causing some throws to sail. 83 mph arm strength from outfield. Wallner tall and projectable on the mound. 2-piece arm action that starts long and begins to shorten mid-circle. Fastball shows above average run at 83-85 mph. Shows flashes of a breaking ball with tight rotation and sharp break. Wrist is stiff and pushes changeup at times causing flat action at 73-74 mph. Feel for zone with 3 pitches. Strong Follow into Spring/Summer season once he is in baseball shape.

10/1/14- NOTES
Long lanky body with athletic actions. Left-handed hitter with projectable bat and hitting ability. Mid 80's arm strength from outfield. Will continue to add strength.

4/26/19: Tall, long bodied outfielder with plus raw power and arm strength as his top tools. Wallner was also considered a top round talent as a pitcher, but has likely thrown his last pitch for the Eagles. He began the season as a two-way player, but strained his flexor tendon in his forearm during a pre-season intrasquad. It was not a serious injury, tests did not show major damage, but it has taken time to heal and he continues to rehab from the injury. As an outfielder Wallner is an aggressive and steady defender with a plus arm. On this look, he failed to air it out, preferring instead to throw it on-line, directly to the cutoff man, which was similar to his approach with the USA CNT last summer. He is sure-handed, reacts quickly to the ball off the bat and takes consistent, strong routes. Projects as an average to better right fielding at the ML level. Offensively, he doesn't possess an abundance of bat speed, instead relying on leverage and strength to punish the baseball. With a wider stance, stiffer swing and slider bat speed, he struggled to drive through and extend with wood this summer against low-90s velocity. During this recent look against MTSU, he is now more narrow with his stance and had better rhythm and timing for a smoother swing. He made hard contact in four of his five plate appearances with a metal bat and lower velo. He used all fields and was able to get good extension in his swing, not not having to cut his swing short against the mid-to-upper 80s. His current slash of .306/.419/.607 has suffered at times this spring by the increased pressure he has put on himself to lead his team and he has tried to do too much at times. However, his career .331/.453/.622 slash with 47 home runs and a .291 ISO speaks to the damage he can do in the batter’s box with strong walk (15.7%) and strikeout (17.4%) rates. Going forward to the next level, Wallner must rely even more on his bat strength by getting even stronger and learn to cheat a little with his frontside to hit higher velocities. He projects as a below average hitter with plus game power. Those talents, when combined with his arm strength and defensive abilities, project Wallner as an everyday right fielder and likely late Day One draft pick. (Seifert)

8/15/18: Wallner is a perfect example of why multiple looks matter so much when evaluating prospects. He seemed refreshed, more confident and more aggressive during my looks in the Cape than compared to when with the USA CNT just a couple weeks earlier. His body language was much more relaxed. Although he still wanted to get out front and around everything at the plate and chase elevated fastballs, he did show more bat speed during the Cape games. Also showed a plus to better arm as his throws had more air under them, allowing them better carry to the target. Overall, Wallner is a potential middle of the order bat with plus power potential and likely Day One draft selection this June. (Seifert)

7-10-2018: Athletic, long bodied, long levered outfielder. Provides a physical presence in the lineup as he looks the part of a big leaguer. Above average arm and average defensive abilities. Arm should easily become plus to better in the future by adding a little arc to his throws. Presently, the ball comes out good, but the low trajectory limits the carry. Offensively, he pulled off the ball with a long swing. Struggled to make hard contact. Has a big hole away and hard inside due to his swing path. Adjusted after four games and tried to let the ball travel, staying more inside the ball and using the opposite field well in batting practice. Despite his offensive struggles with the CNT, Wallner remains a top round prospect for the 2019 draft. There are just not too many athletes with his body type, projection and tool set in amateur baseball. Although he did not pitch for the CNT, he is also considered a prospect on the bump. (Seifert)