He’s athletic, but the 6-foot-4, 190-pound first-rounder doesn’t blaze around the bases or the outfield like Corbin Carroll or Pete Crow-Armstrong. Zac Veen isn’t slow, but no one would describe him as a speedster. “I wanted to face him again.” Rockies’ Zac Veen nabs two bases “It made me feel pretty good,” said Miller, who watched Wallner crush a 1-0 pitch over the right-center-field fence at the home of the Dodgers’ Double-A affiliate exactly a month ago. Miller’s whiff of Wallner marked his third strikeout in a busy one-run inning. Miller, the National League starter, struck out Wallner on four pitches, the final one an 86 mph changeup on the outer edge of the plate. I got my hands inside the ball and that’s about all I can do with that one.”īefore Wallner homered for the 22nd time this season, one of his early-season victims avenged himself. I was pretty confident that it was coming. It’s a weakness highlighted by scouts who were interviewed after the initial Futures Game rosters were released.Īsked how often he has hit a 1-1 pitch like the one Harrison threw him, the 24-year-old said, “Not a ton like that. Getting to pitches in that area of the zone has not come easily for the left-handed-hitting Wallner, who made his Triple-A debut Thursday. It was that it came on an inside fastball from Giants prospect Kyle Harrison, who took the loss for the National League after being charged four runs (one earned) and retiring only three of six batters in the third inning. 295 with a 1.019 OPS this season, would get a hold of something on such a big stage.īut it wasn’t just exit velocity that made Wallner’s home run impressive. It seemed inevitable Wallner, who is batting. His raw power has been no secret, commonly drawing a grade of 70. Wallner, picked 39th overall out of Southern Mississippi by the Twins in the 2019 draft, has been one of the top home run hitters in the minor leagues this season, with 21 coming in the Double-A Texas League.

But the hardest-hit ball during the seven-inning exhibition came off the bat of AL teammate Matt Wallner, who smoked a high-and-tight 94 mph heater 115.8 mph into Dodger Stadium’s right-field corner.ġ16 mph exit velocity! /llzcqBe8MK Yankees prospect Jasson Dominguez, the most-hyped international free-agent signing since hard-capped bonus pools were implemented in 2017, hammered one of them, his 107.5 mph blast tying the score at 3-3 for the American League in the third inning. There were 15 balls hit harder than 100 mph Saturday.

Here are a few other highlights from the Futures Game. “But I wanted one at least, so I’m glad I got a groundball.” “I tried to dial it back and get to normal,” he said. Having displayed his best, Winn throttled it down for his next throw an inning later. That’s why the Futures Game was the moment to let one rip. As the team’s spring training home, Palm Beach is equipped with the same Hawk-Eye camera system that is used in every big-league ballpark. He might have flirted with triple digits this year, but those throws weren’t tracked. Last year with Low-A Palm Beach, the shortstop and former two-way player said he hit 99.8 mph on a throw.

“Walk looked over and was like, ‘That was it,'” Winn said.Ĭruz’s 97.8 mph throw may have been the nominal record-holder before Saturday, but Winn said he topped that mark long ago. But I definitely felt good.” Walker, his double-play mate at Double-A Springfield and in Saturday’s exhibition, seemed more sure. I didn’t think it was going to be a hundred. “I gripped a good four-seam and let it eat there,” Winn said. Social media learned the result immediately, although Winn didn’t find out until Dodgers pitcher Bobby Miller filled him in when Winn exited the game in the fifth. The Statcast-endorsed verdict: 100.5 mph. Diaz isn’t exactly fleet-footed, yet Winn reared back and rocketed a throw to first base. In the second inning Saturday, Astros catching prospect Yainer Diaz slapped a grounder to Winn at short. “I was just trying to go out there and hit 100,” the 20-year-old said. Later, when the pair earned selections to the Futures Game, Winn was resolved to set a new benchmark. “You’ve got someone who throws harder than you now,” the slugger told Winn, a shortstop prospect. Turning to teammate Masyn Winn, Jordan Walker issued a challenge. But as baseball fans marveled at Cruz’s arm strength - he later topped that with a throw of 97.8 mph, claiming the record - two Cardinals prospects took special notice. In his long-awaited 2022 MLB debut, Pirates shortstop prospect Oneil Cruz made a throw to first base that was clocked at 96.7 mph, third fastest from a position player in the Statcast era. LOS ANGELES - On June 20, the baseball internet blew up.

Cardinals shortstop