Wall wins Opening Day roster spot to open 10th pro season

NORTH PORT, Fla. -- Forrest Wall nervously answered a call from Braves manager Brian Snitker late Monday afternoon.

“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.”

How excited?

“I was like yelling, ‘Let’s go!’” Wall said.

Wall spent the next few minutes sharing screams of joy with his wife, daughter and parents, who truly appreciate the long journey that brought him to this first Opening Day roster selection. The 28-year-old outfielder is preparing for his 10th professional season, but his MLB experience only consists of the 15 games he played for Atlanta last year.

“You have so many tough conversations with these guys, when you can have one like that, I felt as good as he did, probably,” Snitker said.

Exactly how much playing time Wall receives remains to be seen. He could occasionally be used as a pinch-runner. But the recent addition of Adam Duvall erased the Braves’ need for a primary backup outfielder.

Recognizing this, the Braves could have given the last bench spot to Luke Williams and allowed Wall to stay ready with everyday at-bats at Triple-A Gwinnett. But instead they gave the roster spot to the guy who clearly won the battle from a production standpoint.

Wall has hit .294 (10-for-34) with three homers and a .959 OPS in 17 Grapefruit League games. The speedy outfielder also has been successful on three of four stolen-base attempts.

“It's a testament to the organization and them working with me, and then just putting in the work,” Wall said. “It's just cool to be in this position to be here now.”

Wall’s greatest tool remains his speed, which has helped him tally 52 stolen bases in each of the past two seasons at Triple-A. When he joined Atlanta’s organization before the 2023 season, he was viewed as a prime pinch-running option.

The Braves did put Wall on their 2023 postseason roster to serve primarily as a pinch-runner. But he has started to show signs he can contribute offensively in multiple ways. He went 6-for-13 with two doubles and one homer in 15 games for Atlanta last season. The .799 OPS he produced in 90 games for Gwinnett came with eight home runs.

Wall’s excitement for the upcoming season has increased as he’s spent the past few weeks benefiting from some offseason adjustments he made with the help of Stevie Wilkerson and Chris Antariksa -- a couple of Minor League hitting instructors whom the Braves sent to work with the outfielder this past winter.

“If they wouldn’t have flown in, I would have just continued to do the things I thought I was doing well,” Wall said. “I wouldn’t have made any adjustments. Knowing I’m now moving better mechanically, it gives me confidence.”

Wall played Minor League ball for the Rockies, Blue Jays and Twins before finally getting his first call to the Majors with the Braves last year. He has always had the dream of beginning a season in the Majors. But this was the first year he truly thought he had a chance to be on an Opening Day roster.

Barring any unforeseen developments, Wall will realize this goal on Thursday, when the Braves open the regular season in Philadelphia.

“Honestly, I don’t know if it’s really set in yet,” Wall said. “If I get the chance to be there on the line for the national anthem, I think that will be the moment it really settles in.”