Matthew Blake Walston (born June 28, 2001) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2024.
| Blake Walston | |
|---|---|
| Arizona Diamondbacks – No. 48 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: June 28, 2001 Wilmington, North Carolina, U.S. | |
Bats: Left Throws: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| May 1, 2024, for the Arizona Diamondbacks | |
| MLB statistics (through 2024 season) | |
| Win–loss record | 1–0 |
| Earned run average | 4.42 |
| Strikeouts | 18 |
| Teams | |
| |
Career
editWalston attended New Hanover High School in Wilmington, North Carolina.[1] In 2019, his senior year, he went 12–0 with a 0.20 ERA, striking out 129 batters in 68+2⁄3 innings pitched.[2] He was named North Carolina's Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year.[3] Walston was also named the 2019 North Carolina High School Player of the Year by Perfect Game.[4] He committed to play college baseball at North Carolina State University.[5]
The Arizona Diamondbacks chose Walston in the first round, with the 26th overall pick, in the 2019 Major League Baseball draft.[6][7] He signed for $2.45 million.[8] He made his professional debut with the Rookie-level Arizona League Diamondbacks before earning a promotion to the Hillsboro Hops of the Low–A Northwest League.[9] Over 11 innings between both teams, he compiled a 2.45 ERA and 17 strikeouts.[10] He did not play a minor league game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.[11] To begin the 2021 season, he was assigned to the Visalia Rawhide of the Low-A West.[12] He was promoted to Hillsboro (now members of the High-A West) in July.[13] Over 19 starts between the two teams, Walston went 4–5 with a 3.76 ERA and 117 strikeouts over 95+2⁄3 innings.[14]
On November 14, 2023, the Diamondbacks added Walston to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.[15] He was optioned to the Triple–A Reno Aces to begin the 2024 season.[16] On May 1, 2024, Walston was promoted to the major leagues for the first time.[17]
References
edit- ^ "Blake Walston tosses no-hitter to lead New Hanover past D.H. Conley in Game 1". coastalpreps.com. 22 May 2019. Retrieved on 15 June 2019.
- ^ "2019 MLB Draft: Top 5 high school left-handed pitching prospects – MaxPreps". MaxPreps.com. 23 May 2019. Retrieved on 15 June 2019.
- ^ WRAL, (23 May 2019). "New Hanover's Blake Walston named Gatorade North Carolina Baseball Player of the Year". www.highschoolot.com. Retrieved on 15 June 2019.
- ^ "High School Players of the Year". Perfect Game. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
- ^ Staff, Jackson Fuller StarNews. "ACC baseball the future for New Hanover, South Brunswick prospects". Kinston Free Press.
- ^ Staff, Jackson Fuller StarNews. "Blake Walston selected by Arizona Diamondbacks in MLB Draft". Wilmington Star News. June 3, 2019. Retrieved on June 15, 2019.
- ^ "Diamondbacks load up on upside, pitching with seven picks on first day of MLB draft". azcentral.com. Retrieved on June 15, 2019.
- ^ Fuller, Jackson (June 19, 2019). "Blake Walston signs with Arizona Diamondbacks". starnewsonline.com. Wilmington Star News.
- ^ "D-backs sign first-round picks Corbin Carroll, Blake Walston". azsports.com. Arizona Sports. June 20, 2019.
- ^ 1 min read (June 25, 2020). "Diamondbacks' Blake Walston: Gets taxi squad nod". CBSSports.com. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "2020 Minor League Baseball season canceled". MLB.com.
- ^ "D-backs prospects assigned to minor league affiliates". May 3, 2021.
- ^ "Diamondbacks' Blake Walston: Moves to High-A". July 9, 2021.
- ^ "Alek Thomas, Seth Beer headline D-backs' MiLB Organization All-Stars". November 2021.
- ^ "Diamondbacks' Blake Walston: Protected from Rule 5 draft". cbssports.com. March 19, 2024.
- ^ "D-backs Option Slade Cecconi, Blake Walston and Corbin Martin". si.com. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ "Diamondbacks Promote Blake Walston For MLB Debut". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
External links
edit- Career statistics from Baseball Reference (Minors)