Nick
Wallerstedt

After just 0.2 innings of work for the Sun Devils this spring, Nick Wallerstedt (RHP, Arizona State) enjoyed a breakout summer for Orleans, tallying 16.2 innings over 13 relief appearances for the Firebirds while striking out 22. The live-armed righty can reach the mid-90s with his heater, topping 93 mph in our look, with a swing-and-miss slider completing the two-pitch package. He’s definitely an arm of interest entering 2022, with a chance to emerge as an impact piece for Arizona State and Day Two target for MLB clubs.

6-foot-2, 185-pound frame. Wallerstedt has always intrigued with his frame, athleticism and arm strength, but he took his game to a completely different level on the mound. He sat in the low 90's during his inning of work, touching 93 and 94 when he reached back for a little extra. The combination of athleticism, lightning arm speed and protection in the body make him a premium prospect that will vault way up in the state and national rankings when updated. He also featured a 76-78 mph true slider with tilt and depth that looks like a future plus pitch and showed feel for an 80-82 mph change in warmups. While there is still some rawness to his game, having just recently started to focus more on baseball, the sky is the limit and we could be looking at a future high-end draft pick who I could easily see as a 95-97 mph guy at some point. Wallerstedt also remains a true two-way prospect, turning in a 6.73 60-yard dash, 91 mph outfield velo and 94 mph exit velo despite some crudeness in the swing. He could also develop into a high-end defender in center or right field as he's continually shown impressive bat reads and the ability to cover significant ground out there

An elite multi-sport athlete, Wallerstedt possesses an exiting array of physical tools. Already a plus runner (4.21 down the line), he shows a 50 arm from the outfield and while raw offensively shows the tools to hit in the future with continued development. During I/O he looks like the best player and athlete on the field. There is some rigidity to his swing and the timing isn't quite there yet, but we are looking at a potential high-end prospect if/when he dedicates himself to baseball and gets more game reps against quality competition.