Blake Walston #48

Full name is Matthew Blake Walston ... Attended New Hanover High School in Wilmington, N.C. Signed a national letter of intent to play baseball on scholarship at North Carolina State University prior to being drafted in 2019 ...Served as starting quarterback for three seasons, winning a 3A State Championship in 2017 and throwing for a New Hanover County record 9,185 passing yards...Named the 2018-19 Gatorade North Carolina High School Baseball Player of the Year...Became the first player from New Hanover to be selected in the first round of the MLB Draft out of high school since the Red Sox selected Trot Nixon seventh overall in 1993.

2023

Went 12-6 with a 4.52 ERA (75 ER in 149.1 IP) in 30 starts with Triple-A Reno. Ranked among Triple-A pitchers in starts (T-first, 30), wins (T-second, 12) and innings pitched (second, 149.1)...Named the D-backs Minor League Pitcher of the Month for May, going 4-1 with a 3.10 ERA (10 ER in 29.0 IP) and 22 strikeouts in five starts with the Aces...Entered the season rated as the D-backs No. 19 prospect by MLB.com...Tossed 3.0 scoreless innings in one start for the Salt River Rafters in the 2023 Arizona Fall League.

2022

Combined to go 8-3 with a 4.79 ERA (66 ER in 124.0 IP) and 137 strikeouts over 25 starts between High-A Hillsboro and Double-A Amarillo... Was promoted to Double-A Amarillo on May 1 after just four starts with the Hops (1-0, 2.55 ERA)…made 21 starts with the Sod Poodles, going 7-3 with a 5.16 ERA (61 ER in 106.1 IP). 

2021

Went 4-5 with a 3.76 ERA (40 ER in 95.2 IP) over 19 starts between Single-A Visalia and High-A Hillsboro...Collected 11 strikeouts on July 20 @ Eugene (1 ER in 8.0 IP)...Entered the season as the D-backs’ No. 5 prospect by MLB Pipeline (No. 8 by Baseball America)

2020

Invited to his first MLB Spring Training as a non-roster invitee but did not appear in a game…was assigned to the Alternate Training Site...Ranked as the D-backs No. 5 prospect by MLB.com Pipeline (No. 6 by Baseball America).

2019

Went 0-0 with a 2.45 ERA in six games (five starts) between the AZL D-backs and Short-Season Hillsboro.