Padres Sign Former NL West Rival First-Round Pick Outfielder

The San Diego Padres agreed to a minor league contract with Forrest Wall, according to the MLB.com transaction tracker.

Wall has played in 31 MLB games over the past two seasons.

The 29-year-old made his debut with 15 games for the Braves in 2023 and played 16 games for Atlanta and Miami last year. In a small sample of 50 plate appearances, he has posted a .311 batting average.

Former #Braves outfielder Forrest Wall has signed a minor league deal with the San Diego Padres. After making Atlanta's Opening Day roster with a strong Spring Training, he hit .241 in 32 plate appearances before being sent to Gwinnett and later DFA'd. pic.twitter.com/tmhvdA28Yi
— Braves Today (@braves_today) January 29, 2025

Wall fought his way through nine minor league seasons before answering the phone call that landed him on Atlanta's Opening Day roster. It was the first time in his career that he broke camp on a big league roster.

“My heart started going,” Wall said. “I kind of knew the call was coming. I didn’t know whether it would be good or bad. Then he had nothing but good things to say. He told me I had made the team. So after that, I was extremely thankful and excited. I was by myself in my car but so excited.”

The Braves included Wall on their 2023 postseason roster, where he primarily served as a pinch runner. However, he has begun to demonstrate his ability to contribute offensively in various ways.

Wall's time on Atlanta's big league roster was short lived. He hit .241/.313/.241 in 32 plate appearances with the Braves last season before Miami picked him up off waivers.

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Wall spent the majority of his 2024 season with Triple-A Gwinnett, where he posted a .279/.380/.411 slash line. He also had a 12.1 percent walk rate, a 25.1 percent strikeout rate, and stole 12 bases in 51 games.

The speedster was initially drafted as a second baseman but transitioned to the outfield a few seasons into his career. His speed allows him to provide depth at all three outfield positions. He has accumulated over 3,400 professional innings as a center fielder and more than 1,100 innings in left field in the minors.

Wall spent his minor league career with the Rockies, Blue Jays, and Twins before receiving his first call-up to the majors with the Braves last year.

Drafted by the Rockies with the 35th overall pick in 2014, Wall has spent 10 seasons in the minor leagues. His MLB experience has been limited to the past two seasons with Atlanta. A left-handed hitter, Wall has a career .268/.354/.387 line in nearly 1,500 plate appearances at Triple-A.

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