Atlanta Braves news: After nine seasons in the minor leagues, the Braves have called up 27-year-old Forrest Wall. So, who is Forrest Wall?

Forrest Wall Gets the Call After Nine Seasons in the Minors

Forrest Wall was drafted with the 35th pick by the Colorado Rockies in the 2014 draft. He cracked the 2016 Top 100 Prospects list coming in at 90th prior to the season. He was also named the 4th-best 2B prospect in baseball. He was just 20-years-old at the time.

Wall played 120 games that season in High-A and hit .264 with a .329 OBP. With just 26 extra-base hits in 429 at-bats with Modesto, Wall’s slugging percentage was just .355.

Between 2015 and 2016 Wall stole 47 bases but was caught 33% of the time. Between ages 18-21 (2014-2017) he did show solid speed and a propensity to take a walk with a 10% BB rate.

In July of 2018, Forrest Wall was traded from the Rockies to the Blue Jays. He finished the season with a total of 38 stolen bases with a .343 OBP and 14 CS.

Flash forward to 2021, Wall played 78 games in AAA-Buffalo and slashed .266/.343/.360 while stealing 35 bases. He was only caught four times.

He signed with Seattle in 2022 and played 120 games with AAA-Tacoma. His .688 OPS showed his continued lack of power but he led the PCL in steals with 52. The Wall’s ability to get on base and swipe the next one really shined in 2021 and 2022.

Prior to 2023, Wall signed with the Atlanta Braves, his fourth organization.

Forrest Wall’s Stats in Gwinnett

In 78 games with Gwinnett, Forrest Wall showed his ability to get on base and steal bases. He posted a .360 on-base percentage with 45 steals and was caught just four times. Again, his slugging percentage was just .399, but he didn’t get called up to hit dingers.

Forrest Wall Scouting Report

If you haven’t extracted it from the previous sections, Wall has a great ability to get on base and to swipe bags. His speed made him a candidate to be moved from second base to centerfield, which is what happened.

At first, the move to center had lackluster returns. He would take bad routes to balls and didn’t look like a big-league centerfielder. By 2020, he had progressed enough defensively to turn some heads.

The past couple of seasons, Wall has proven to be a quality defender in the outfield with top-notch speed and shown the ability to get on base. He makes for a great fourth outfielder who can do damage on the base paths.

How Can Forrest Wall Contribute to the Atlanta Braves?

Forrest has a shot at getting some playing time with the Braves thanks to the Eddie Rosario injury. As I write this, Sam Hilliard (Rosario’s replacement tonight) was just removed from the game with an injury. If Wall gets a chance to play with the big-league club he could contribute with a centerfield glove in left and good speed on the base paths.