Rank History
| Year | Team | Position | Team Rank | OFP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | ARI | LHP | 11 | 50 |
Grades Update: Dec 2020
| OFP | Role | FB | CB | SL | CH | Cnt/Cmd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | 50 | 60 | 60 | 55 | 50 | 55/50 |
Dec 2020 Report
Evaluator: Tyler Jennings
Age: 20 yr
Height: 6-5
Weight: 197 lbs
Hits/Throws: L/L
Acquired: 2019 1st
RuleV: 2023
Physical Description: Tall, lanky frame with plenty of projection to come. High waisted, long limbs with broad shoulders. Very athletic. Has added strength with Arizona, gone from 175 to 197 pounds. Former QB recruit at New Hanover High.
Delivery & Mechanics: Turn-and-fire delivery from the first base side of the rubber. High leg kick, low three-quarters arm slot. Extension is subpar and release points have been inconsistent throughout his arsenal, but he has worked on getting all of his pitches to the same release point in the past year. Arm action is clean and the delivery is repeatable with minimal effort.
Fastball: Velocity was inconsistent in high school, routinely sitting in the high-80's to low-90's. After signing and adding strength, the velocity went up and became more consistent, regularly touching 96-97 MPH in 2019. However, the pitch only averaged 91 MPH in 2020, leaving a bit more to be desired. Low-spin offering that averages 2,100 RPM's, Walston gets solid armside run and nearly a foot and a half of vertical break from a release height of six feet. Walston has shown great control and command of the pitch since getting to Arizona, as well. While he lacks present elite velocity, he's likely to be able to tap into it more as he adds muscle to his athletic frame. For now, he will need to show more consistent velocity. Grade: 60
Curveball: Has all the makings of a plus pitch. Hard curveball that is thrown with excellent velocity in the low-80's and high spin, exceeding 2,500 RPM'S on average. Comes from a higher release height than the rest of his arsenal at 6.1 feet. The pitch has great shape and depth to it, getting nearly ten inches of negative vertical break and eight inches of horizontal movement. Walston is able to use the pitch against hitters on both sides of the plate, as well. Easily the best offering in Walston's arsenal at the present time. Grade: 60
Slider: Lateral-breaking slider that is thrown in the mid-80's. Much like the fastball, it's a low-spin offering, averaging just over 2,100 RPM's from a release height of 5.9 feet, lower than the rest of his arsenal. Not as impressive as his curveball, but shows promise as a potential above-average offering. Grade: 55
Changeup: Developing pitch that has shown some promise. Decent separation, in terms of velocity, from the fastball, as it averaged 82-83 MPH in camp. Release height is the same as the fastball at six feet and is a low-spin offering at just under 1,300 RPM's, which is within the optimal spin rate band for change-ups. Gets some decent fade and sink. Development of this pitch will be key moving forward. Grade: 50
Control and Command: Walston has good control of all four pitches in his arsenal, leaving some evaluators to think he will have above-average command moving forward. The command is there, as well, as he commands an impressive arsenal well. Through the small sample size that was his 2019 campaign, he walked only two batters across eleven innings. Will be interesting to see how he progresses with addition of velocity to fastball. Control: 55 | Command: 50
Overall: Due to a lack of elite velocity and inconsistency, Walston's fastball will need to undergo some work before it can be a plus offering. The off-speed offerings are legitimate, especially the curveball, although he will need to further develop the slider and change-up as he progresses. He has the ceiling of a mid-rotation starter, but until he adds more consistent velocity, he's likely a backend starter.
OFP: 50
Role: 50 - #4-5 Backend Starter
Risk: High
