Matt Wallner

Wallner entered 2024 viewed as the starting left fielder after a breakout 2023 season. However, he looked so lost at the plate during spring training that he was quickly demoted to the minors in mid-April after going 2-for-25 with 17 strikeouts. It took him awhile to find his stroke in the minors, but he was finally called back up July 7 and hit .282 with 12 home runs and a.945 OPS the rest of the season. Wallner has tremendous power, ranking in the top 20 batters in baseball last season in both Average Exit Velocity and Hard Hit % (per Baseball Savant) for batters with at least his much playing time. His power has come with a high strikeout rate (36.4%) and low contact rate (56.8%) that make him prone to long slumps. While he draws a decent amount of walks (9.2%) he may have been lucky the last two seasons with a high BABIP (.389) and HR/FB rates (21.7%). He also struggles against lefties (career .510 OPS vs. LHP) which likely limits him to a platoon. While he lacks range in the outfield he has one of the best outfield arms in the majors. With the departure of Max Kepler, he'll get a shot to be the starting right fielder, likely in the strong side of a platoon. He could hit more than 30 home runs if he can improve against lefties and avoid prolonged slumps. Read Past Outlooks