Bobby Wahl Stats & Scouting Report

IP	15
ERA	7.8
WHIP	1.933
BB/9	4.8
SO/9	9.6

Full name Robert Martin Wahl
Born 03/21/1992 in Alexandria, VA
Profile Ht.: 6'3" / Wt.: 216 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Mississippi
Debut 05/03/2017
Drafted in the 5th round (161st overall) by the Oakland Athletics in 2013 (signed for $500,000).

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A northern Virginia product, Wahl turned down reported $1 million offers in the 2010 draft to attend Mississippi. He established himself as the staff ace the last two seasons, and was the closer for USA Baseball's college national team last summer. Wahl pitches with a 90-94 mph fastball at his best as a starter and hit 97 last summer, and scouts have seen flashes of a plus slider and solid-average changeup with late action. He has battled blister problems all spring and had arm soreness last summer that prompted Team USA to avoid using him on back-to-back nights. His slider has backed up this spring, in part due to the blisters, while his fastball slipped to the 89-92 mph range with an occasional 94. Some scouts blame his diminished velocity on an over-reliance on the slider. Still, Wahl has dominated, going 9-0, 1.21 through 12 starts while limiting opponents to a .178 average. Scouts laud his improved feel and toughness. His competitiveness and pitching savvy have served him well, and if his stuff bounces back, he could be one of the best college starters in this class.

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Organization Prospect Rankings

Injuries have set back Wahl, Mississippi's former Friday starter. He dealt with an oblique issue in 2014, and even after the Athletics moved him to the bullpen, he felt numbness in his right arm that turned out to be a nerve impingement in his elbow. That necessitated surgery in 2015. But 2016 was Wahl's healthiest and most consistent season. He tamped down his walk percentage--at least until he got to Triple-A--and his opponent average was a career-best .194. Wahl's big pitch is his fastball, which touched 100 mph in 2016. His curveball is his best secondary pitch and shows some bite, but is not consistent and doesn't get many swings and misses. He also throws a sparingly-used changeup. Wahl's problem, beside injuries and lack of command, is he tends to pitch up in the zone, and even with his velocity he can be hit. He needs to get his fastball down in the zone and sharpen his curveball so that he can get batters to chase. But as one evaluator said, "100 is 100," so Wahl could earn a big league bullpen role as soon as 2017.
Wahl unfortunately has become familiar with pitching through injuries. Blister problems diminished his stuff during his final college season in 2013, and he dealt with oblique problems in 2014. Along the way, the Athletics moved the former Mississippi ace to the bullpen, which should've accelerated the power righthander's path to the majors, but he dealt with numbness in his arm while pitching for Double-A Midland. It turned out he had a nerve impingement in his elbow and needed an operation, which ended his season in July. When he's healthy, Wahl has the stuff to pitch at the back of a big league bullpen. His fastball can touch triple digits and work in the 92-95 mph range, and he backs it up with a hard, biting curveball that can be a second plus pitch. His changeup is serviceable but he doesn't use it often. Wahl should be ready for spring training after spending the fall rehabbing at the team's complex in Arizona. He'll head back to Midland, and the A's still see the potential for him to take off quickly if the results are there.
Wahl served as the staff ace at Mississippi for two seasons, going 10-0, 2.03 as a junior in 2013, the same year the Athletics made him a fifth-round pick. However, a portent of his future came in summer 2012 when he served as the closer for USA Baseball's College National Team. After struggling as a starter early in 2013, due in part to his trying to pitch through an oblique injury, Wahl moved to the bullpen in early June and quickly settled in. His velocity diminished during his final college season but has bounced back in the shorter relief stints. Wahl has an electric fastball now, pumping mid- to upper-90s velocity. His hard curveball plays as plus when it's going well, showing tight downward break. He could probably get by with just the two pitches as a reliever, but he continues to maintain a changeup with depth as part of his arsenal. Command has been Wahl's biggest obstacle, a product of over-striding in his delivery. He has worked to shorten up and get more downward angle on his pitches. He should reach Double-A Midland in 2015, with a return to Stockton for Opening Day also a possibility.
The Indians pushed hard to sign Wahl as a 39th-round pick out of high school but couldn't keep him from going to Mississippi. Entering spring 2013 as a potential first-round pick, he dealt with persistent blister issues on his right middle finger and pitched with diminished stuff. He still dominated nonetheless, going 10-0, 2.03 for the Rebels, though he lasted until the fifth round and signed with Oakland for $500,000. The Athletics limited Wahl to shorter stints after signing him and worked on shortening his delivery, and his stuff seemed to rebound. He demonstrated the arm strength to hit 97 mph in college, but he often worked at 89-92 for Ole Miss in 2013. He reverted back to the mid-90s over the summer, though, while his slider, the main culprit behind his blister problems, showed hard, late break. He also has a quality changeup with depth. Wahl uses both sides of the plate and generally keeps the ball down. Scouts see some effort in his delivery, though it does give him deception. Wahl has the three-pitch repertoire to be a starter, not to mention a successful track record as an ace in the Southeastern Conference. However, he shined as a closer for USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team in 2012 with just his fastball and slider, and he could reach the majors fairly quickly as a reliever. He'll probably open 2014 at low Class A Beloit.

Draft Prospects

A northern Virginia product, Wahl turned down reported $1 million offers in the 2010 draft to attend Mississippi. He established himself as the staff ace the last two seasons, and was the closer for USA Baseball's college national team last summer. Wahl pitches with a 90-94 mph fastball at his best as a starter and hit 97 last summer, and scouts have seen flashes of a plus slider and solid-average changeup with late action. He has battled blister problems all spring and had arm soreness last summer that prompted Team USA to avoid using him on back-to-back nights. His slider has backed up this spring, in part due to the blisters, while his fastball slipped to the 89-92 mph range with an occasional 94. Some scouts blame his diminished velocity on an over-reliance on the slider. Still, Wahl has dominated, going 9-0, 1.21 through 12 starts while limiting opponents to a .178 average. Scouts laud his improved feel and toughness. His competitiveness and pitching savvy have served him well, and if his stuff bounces back, he could be one of the best college starters in this class.