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Blake Walston

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Blake Walston
Arizona Diamondbacks – No. 48
Pitcher
Born: (2001-06-28) June 28, 2001 (age 23)
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 record1–0
Earned run average4.42
Strikeouts18
Teams

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.

Career

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Walston 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

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  1. ^ "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.
  2. ^ "2019 MLB Draft: Top 5 high school left-handed pitching prospects – MaxPreps". MaxPreps.com. 23 May 2019. Retrieved on 15 June 2019.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ "High School Players of the Year". Perfect Game. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  5. ^ Staff, Jackson Fuller StarNews. "ACC baseball the future for New Hanover, South Brunswick prospects". Kinston Free Press.
  6. ^ Staff, Jackson Fuller StarNews. "Blake Walston selected by Arizona Diamondbacks in MLB Draft". Wilmington Star News. June 3, 2019. Retrieved on June 15, 2019.
  7. ^ "Diamondbacks load up on upside, pitching with seven picks on first day of MLB draft". azcentral.com. Retrieved on June 15, 2019.
  8. ^ Fuller, Jackson (June 19, 2019). "Blake Walston signs with Arizona Diamondbacks". starnewsonline.com. Wilmington Star News.
  9. ^ "D-backs sign first-round picks Corbin Carroll, Blake Walston". azsports.com. Arizona Sports. June 20, 2019.
  10. ^ 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)
  11. ^ "2020 Minor League Baseball season canceled". MLB.com.
  12. ^ "D-backs prospects assigned to minor league affiliates". May 3, 2021.
  13. ^ "Diamondbacks' Blake Walston: Moves to High-A". July 9, 2021.
  14. ^ "Alek Thomas, Seth Beer headline D-backs' MiLB Organization All-Stars". November 2021.
  15. ^ "Diamondbacks' Blake Walston: Protected from Rule 5 draft". cbssports.com. March 19, 2024.
  16. ^ "D-backs Option Slade Cecconi, Blake Walston and Corbin Martin". si.com. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
  17. ^ "Diamondbacks Promote Blake Walston For MLB Debut". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
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