Kayden Wallace is one of the third baseman of many young people trying to stake his claims as the future 3B. Wallace certainly isn’t a favorite in that discussion, but he has some interesting tools. However, he needs to stay healthy to show off his skills.
2024 was a strange and frustrating year for Wallace. After a solid 2023 season when he reached Double A, his progress was stopped with a plagued injury in 2024. He only managed 56 games. 195 bats For the season. Wallace posted a solid .777 OPS to the Royals system before struggling with the NATS system. When he played for Wilmington and Harrisburg it was clear he was still injured. It was a new environment for him too. Wallace came in the trade that sent Hunter Harvey to Kansas City.
When Wallace came to DC he was nursing a rather serious oblique injury. In the cruel twist of fate, he broke the rib shortly after his return. Nat sent him to the Arizona Fall League. injury I limited him to three games. At the time of trade, he was the second outlook for a shallow royal system. He is probably outside the top 10 of the more powerful NATS systems. However, he remains a rounded profile and his stock could rise in the big 2025.
Kayden Wallace was his second round pick after a successful career at the University of Arkansas. The MLB Pipeline ranked him as the 31st prospect in the 2022 draft. Wallace does a lot on a pretty good level, but doesn’t really have outstanding traits.
He’s speeding up the exit, but he couldn’t convert it into a ton of power. Wallace has it 18 Homer Bat in over 800 minor leagues. He’s like a gap hitter’s gap, earning a bunch of doubles at his best. He feels solidly in the barrel, but the scouts I was asked His ability to hit a broken ball.
Wallace projects the project on the average batsman, but he has made great progress defensively since being drafted. He has an absolute cannon on his arm, and the scouts give him a positive or more positive grade. Wallace is not an elite athlete, but he is the third best range solid athlete. He’s far ahead of the average defender at this point in a third. In college he was considered the bat’s first prospect, but now his gloves are his biggest selling point.
Maintaining good health is an absolute necessity for Wallace’s development. He can’t afford another lost season. Otherwise he will be handed over to the depth chart and will be an afterthought. But if he’s had a big year in Harrisburg or Rochester, he could get shots in some big league action.
So many promising yet flawed players are fighting to become the third baseman of Nats’ future. If Wallace can stay healthy, he can throw his hat into the ring as a key player.
