How Matt Wallner's tantalizing power carried him to MLB Futures Game — and cusp of big leagues

HATTIESBURG — Southern Miss baseball product Matt Wallner will be spending a lot of time in transit over the next few days – not that he minds.

Speaking to The Hattiesburg American on Thursday morning, Wallner was on his way to his home state of Minnesota, having just been promoted to the St. Paul Saints – the Triple-A affiliate of the Twins.

Once he arrives, there will be little time to settle. Wallner is due in Los Angeles for the MLB All-Star Futures Game, which features some of the game's top prospects and takes place on Saturday at Dodger Stadium.

"Getting to play in Dodger Stadium, getting to play with some of the best guys in the minor leagues and against them too, it's going to be a cool experience," Wallner said.

Wallner, the No. 8 prospect in the Twins organization, has spent the last four months tormenting pitchers in the Double-A Texas League for the Wichita Wind Surge. His 21 home runs ranked second in the league, and he's walking more than he ever has at the professional level, posting a .436 on-base percentage good enough for sixth in the league.

That's not coincidental. The outfielder made efforts over the offseason to shrink what he calls his "go-zone." Wallner is now swinging at fewer pitches and making more hard contact.

"I'm just trying not to expand down or expand away or expand in, just try to get more pitches over the heart of the plate and specifically down, for me," Wallner said. "I hit the ball down the best, so just trying to stay within a smaller swing zone for me."

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The changed approach has helped turn Wallner into one of the breakout players across the minors this season. Nobody in the Texas League has more total bases than Wallner's 160.

Southern Miss fans and Twins prospects enthusiasts alike have been clamoring for Wallner's promotion for weeks. Even the St. Paul Saints started dropping hints, sending the following tweet from their official Twitter account after Wallner went yard again last Sunday:

"What is this, like his 84th home run at Double-A?"

It was Wallner's 11th home run in his last 34 games. And, he hopes, the last one he hits at the Double-A level.

Of course, the long ball has always been part of Wallner's toolbelt. He hit 58 of them during his three-year stint at Southern Miss, enough to become the program's all-time home run leader and its highest-ever draft pick, going 39th overall in the 2019 MLB Draft.

He said he still keeps up with his Golden Eagles, who won an NCAA Regional for the second time in program history in 2022.

"It's really fun to follow and talk about it with the guys that I played with," Wallner said. "It was fun to watch from the outside looking in."

Southern Miss fans can watch Wallner in the Futures Game at 6 p.m. CT on Saturday on the Peacock streaming network. The event will re-air beginning at 8 a.m. Sunday on the MLB Network.

When Wallner takes the field, he'll be wearing special, American-flag-themed cleats.

Wallner had them designed as a way to honor his brother, Luke, who is set to join the Navy, as well as his friends Nic Norem and Hunter Shortly, who currently serve in the Navy and Coast Guard, respectively.

"I'm not the most artistic person," Wallner said with a chuckle. "I thought it would be a pretty cool, basic idea ... I've just seen a mock-up of them, but they look pretty cool."

Reach Southern Miss writer David Eckert at deckert@gannett.com or on Twitter @davideckert98.

This article originally appeared on Hattiesburg American: Southern Miss baseball's Matt Wallner brings power to MLB Futures Game