IP | 118.2 |
---|---|
ERA | 3.64 |
WHIP | 1.15 |
BB/9 | 2.5 |
SO/9 | 7.81 |
- Full name Matthew Lawrence Waldron
- Born 09/26/1996 in Omaha, NE
- Profile Ht.: 6'2" / Wt.: 185 / Bats: R / Throws: R
- School Nebraska
- Drafted in the 18th round (550th overall) by the Cleveland Guardians in 2019 (signed for $5,000).
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
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Track Record: Cleveland drafted Waldron in the 18th round in 2019 and signed him for $5,000 before trading him to the Padres in the 2020 deal that sent Mike Clevinger to San Diego. Waldron started toying with a knuckleball during 2021 spring training and the low-spin floater intrigued the Padres, who convinced him to feature the weapon. Waldron rode the knuckler to a solid early showing at High-A Fort Wayne and a promotion to Double-A San Antonio before shoulder soreness sidelined him in August. He returned in the Arizona Fall League.
Scouting Report: Previously, Waldron’s repertoire was rather nondescript for a minor league righthander: a 92-94 mph fastball with a fringy slider and a fringy changeup. The introduction of his knuckleball, however, gives Waldron a chance to stand out. He throws two varieties of the floater, a low-80s one and a low-70s version. He moved to throwing his knuckleball 80% of the time as the season progressed. His control of his knuckleball is fringy, and the pitch tends to get hit as it flattens out late in games.
The Future: Waldron should return to Double-A to start 2022.
Scouting Reports
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BA Grade: 45/High
Track Record: Cleveland drafted Waldron in the 18th round in 2019 and signed him for $5,000 before trading him to the Padres in the 2020 deal that sent Mike Clevinger to San Diego. Waldron started toying with a knuckleball during 2021 spring training and the low-spin floater intrigued the Padres, who convinced him to feature the weapon. Waldron rode the knuckler to a solid early showing at High-A Fort Wayne and a promotion to Double-A San Antonio before shoulder soreness sidelined him in August. He returned in the Arizona Fall League.
Scouting Report: Previously, Waldron's repertoire was rather nondescript for a minor league righthander: a 92-94 mph fastball with a fringy slider and a fringy changeup. The introduction of his knuckleball, however, gives Waldron a chance to stand out. He throws two varieties of the floater, a low-80s one and a low-70s version. He moved to throwing his knuckleball 80% of the time as the season progressed. His control of his knuckleball is fringy, and the pitch tends to get hit as it flattens out late in games.
The Future: Waldron should return to Double-A to start 2022. -
Track Record: Cleveland drafted Waldron in the 18th round in 2019 and signed him for $5,000 before trading him to the Padres in the 2020 deal that sent Mike Clevinger to San Diego. Waldron started toying with a knuckleball during 2021 spring training and the low-spin floater intrigued the Padres, who convinced him to feature the weapon. Waldron rode the knuckler to a solid early showing at High-A Fort Wayne and a promotion to Double-A San Antonio before shoulder soreness sidelined him in August. He returned in the Arizona Fall League.
Scouting Report: Previously, Waldron’s repertoire was rather nondescript for a minor league righthander: a 92-94 mph fastball with a fringy slider and a fringy changeup. The introduction of his knuckleball, however, gives Waldron a chance to stand out. He throws two varieties of the floater, a low-80s one and a low-70s version. He moved to throwing his knuckleball 80% of the time as the season progressed. His control of his knuckleball is fringy, and the pitch tends to get hit as it flattens out late in games.
The Future: Waldron should return to Double-A to start 2022. -
A throwback the Padres' way in the Mike Clevinger trade, the former 18th-rounder's addition of an 80-84 mph knuckleball, which he throws more than 80% of the time, has reimagined what was rather a vanilla pitch mix for the righthander—an 89-93 mph fastball, a slider and a changeup.