Kansas City Royals: Getting to know undrafted free agent signings
By Cody Rickman
Chase Wallace, RHP Starting Pitcher (21-years-old)
Chase Wallace is 6’2”, 195 pound, right-handed reliever from the University of Tennessee. He ranked #440 on Baseball America 500. In his three years with the Tennessee Volunteers, he produced a 2.89 ERA, 1.245 WHIP, with 41 Ks in 53.0 innings.
Wallace was making the transition to becoming a starting pitcher entering the 2020 NCAA season. He was solid in four starts with 9.0 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9. He had an outstanding 2019 summer in the Cape Cod league as a reliever with a 2.74 ERA, 1.261 WHIP, and 10.2 K/9 in 23.0 innings.
Wallace was generating a lot of buzz on the Volunteer website blogs heading into his junior year. He features a plus sinker with nasty riding movement, a solid four-seamer fastball (93-94 mph), an above-average curveball, and average change-up.
Mechanically, Wallace throws downhill and finishes towards the plate. He utilizes a three-quarter arm slot, which helps him put arm-side movement on his sinker and change-up.
Wallace could be a steal as undrafted free agent signing. I like his mechanics and love the movement on his pitches. His mechanics are a solid foundation and he will just need time to become more consistent with each offering to become a back-end of the rotation-type starter.
If he fails as a starter, he has the potential to be an effective middle reliever. The movement on his pitches allow him to limit hard contact.