Dave Wallace

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Cleveland Guardians #28 prospect in 2004
  Wallace played little baseball in three years at Vanderbilt, collecting just 125 at-bats in three years. His most notable baseball memory may have been striking out to end Mark Prior's first college game, a 2-1 loss to Belmont (Tenn.). Wallace accomplished more on the gridirion, where he started six games at quarterback as a freshman. The Indians spotted Wallace playing summer ball in Alaska and signed him as a nondrafted free agent. He has emerged as a sturdy, dependable catcher with significant upside. Wallace's leadership skills, which helped him as a quarterback, have translated on the diamond. He excels at calling games and handling pitchers. His receiving and throwing are solid-average and can get better. He threw out 30 percent of basestealers in 2003. Wallace is progressing as a hitter. He can drive balls into the gaps and draws a fair share of walks. He needs to do a better job of plate coverage, particularly on the outer half of the plate, in order to cut down on his strikeouts. Because Wallace is 24, Cleveland would like to start moving him more quickly. He'll begin this year in high Class A but is a candidate for promotion to Double-A as soon as he starts to hit more consistently.