Jacob Wallace joined the Kansas City Royals through a trade three offseasons ago, but even with his strong strikeout numbers in the upper minors, he never received a major league call-up.
The 27-year-old was acquired in December 2022 in exchange for fellow right-hander Wyatt Mills. In hindsight, the swap proved fairly even, as Mills also never reached the majors with the Red Sox.
After choosing free agency earlier this month, Wallace landed a new opportunity on Tuesday, signing a minor-league contract with the Atlanta Braves, according to the transactions listed on his official roster page.
Wallace made 26 appearances for the Triple-A Omaha Storm Chasers this past season, totaling 42 1/3 innings. He had a 3-1 record, 45 strikeouts, 17 walks, 34 hits allowed, and a 4.46 ERA.
In all three of his seasons with the Royals organization, Wallace always struck out more than a batter per inning, peaking a year ago with 86 punchouts in 63 2/3 innings. Unfortunately for the righty, he also had an ERA over four in each of those seasons.
At this time of year, every team is in the business of stockpiling pitching depth, and perhaps the Braves saw something in Wallace’s arsenal this year that they believe they can tweak or exploit. He was once a third-round pick for the Colorado Rockies in 2019 after attending the University of Connecticut.
Wallace stands 6-foot-1, weighs 190 pounds, and has dialed his fastball up into the high 90s in years past.
Kansas City has yet to sign a minor-league pitcher in free agency this season, but they did acquire righty Mason Black from the San Francisco Giants in a trade earlier this month. More small moves are certainly coming, though the offseason will be judged mostly by whether or not they acquire a big outfield bat.
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