| Cayden Wallace | |
|---|---|
 Wallace with the Northwest Arkansas Naturals in 2023 | |
| Washington Nationals – No. 56 | |
| Third baseman | |
| Born:August 7, 2001 Little Rock, Arkansas | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right |
Cayden Browning Wallace (born August 7,2001) is an American professional baseball third baseman in the Washington Nationals organization.
Wallace attended Greenbrier High School in Greenbrier,Arkansas. As a freshman in 2017,he hit .349 with four home runs before batting .481 with 11 home runs as a sophomore in 2018. [1] As a junior in 2019,he batted .514 with six home runs and 22 RBIs. [2] [3] That summer,he played in the Under Armour All-America Baseball Game at Wrigley Field. [4] His senior season in 2020 was cancelled after eight games due to the COVID-19 pandemic,but he was still named the Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year for the state of Arkansas. [5]
Wallace went unselected in the 2020 Major League Baseball draft and enrolled at the University of Arkansas to play college baseball for the Arkansas Razorbacks. In 2021,as a freshman at Arkansas,Wallace started sixty games (mainly in right field) in which he slashed .279/.369/.500 with 14 home runs,44 RBIs,11 doubles,and a team-leading 67 hits. [6] His 14 home runs were second on the team behind Robert Moore and also tied the freshman home run record set by Heston Kjerstad. [7] He was named a Freshman All-American,making him the 24th Razorback to earn the honors. [8] After the 2021 season,he played collegiate summer baseball for the Bourne Braves of the Cape Cod Baseball League. [9] [10] [11] [12] For the 2022 season,Wallace moved to third base. [13] He was named the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Player of the Week on March 15 after he hit three home runs (two grand slams) and had 13 RBIs over a weekend series. [14] Over 65 games,he batted .297 with 16 home runs,sixty RBIs,and 19 doubles,and ended the season as a top-40 prospect for the upcoming draft. [15]
The Kansas City Royals selected Wallace in the second round with the 49th overall selection of the 2022 Major League Baseball draft. [16] He signed with the team for $1.70 million. [17]
Wallace made his professional debut with the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League Royals and was promoted to the Columbia Fireflies of the Single-A Carolina League after three games. [18] Over thirty games,he batted .297 with two home runs,17 RBI,and eight doubles. [19] Wallace was assigned to the Quad Cities River Bandits of the High-A Midwest League to open the 2023 season. [20] In early August,he was promoted to the Northwest Arkansas Naturals of the Double-A Texas League. [21] Over 130 games between the two teams,Wallace slashed .254/.331/.414 with 13 home runs,84 RBI,and 18 stolen bases. [22] He was assigned to Northwest Arkansas to open the 2024 season. [23]
On July 13,2024,Wallace was traded to the Washington Nationals,along with the Royals’Competitive Balance Round A pick in the 2024 Major League Baseball draft,in exchange for Hunter Harvey. [24] [25]
Wallace's older brother,Paxton,played college baseball at Wichita State University and currently plays in the Royals organization. Their father,Mike,played college football at the University of Central Arkansas. [26]