Ryan Waldschmidt
- Arizona’s roster as it stands starts at CF · 343 PA · 1.4 WAR in the role
- Trade read Unlikely to be traded: Young and cheap for years (age 24, about $53M of surplus value through 2032): a core piece.
Hitting · 2026
284 PA: percentiles need 300+, so values only
Platoon splits · swing path
By pitcher handedness
| vs | PA | wOBA | xwOBA | K% | BB% | Chase | Decisions | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LHP | 86 | .361 | .301 | 24% | 12% | 19% | +0.90 | −1.70 |
| RHP | 198 | .306 | .303 | 32% | 6% | 28% | −0.08 | −0.01 |
- Attack angle
- 10.6° (43% in 5–20°)
- Attack direction
- −10.4°
- Swing length
- 7.0 ft
- Fast-swing rate
- 20%
- Pull-air %
- 19.3%
- Hard-hit %
- 30.0%
- Slash · wRC+
- .256/.325/.368 · 93
Zone map · 2026
Where he does damage, and where to pitch him
Does the most damage middle-in (+4.7 vs. league per 100; 2.0 standard errors on 45 pitches, inside the noise for the best of nine cells).
Weakest up and away (−3.0), but only 1.3 standard errors from average on 51 pitches: no in-zone spot to attack yet.
Runs per 100 pitches vs. an average RHB: better · worse. Catcher’s view · 1,019 pitches · faded cells are within one standard error of average. A spot is called only when it is farther from average than the best or worst of nine average cells gets 95% of the time (set from the league’s own pitches: about 3 standard errors above, 2 below).
Most similar hitters
Swings like Waldschmidt: bat path, contact quality and approach
| Similarity | Player | xwOBA | ’26 WAR | ’27 proj | 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 71 | Matt McLain CIN · ’99 | .294 | 0.2 | 0.8 | Arb |
| 62 | Dylan Beavers BAL · ’01 | .296 | −0.2 | 0.5 | Pre-arb |
| 61 | Evan Carter TEX · ’02 | .286 | 1.2 | 1.7 | Arb |
| 58 | Anthony Volpe NYY · ’01 | .291 | 1.4 | 1.4 | Arb |
| 56 | Jackson Holliday BAL · ’03 | .293 | 0.5 | 1.0 | Pre-arb |
Nearest neighbours on bat speed, swing length, attack angle, squared-up and blast rates, EV90, barrels, pull-air, chase, zone contact, K% and BB%. 2026 regulars only.
Fielding
2027 rating at every position he can play · OAA by position · range by direction · tools. Same engine as the Fielding Lab and the Winter Plan.
| Season | Pos | OAA | Range | Arm, DP | Runs | Batters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | LF | 0 | 0 | +1.0 | +1.0 | 913 |
| 2026 | CF | +1 | +1 | +2.1 | +3.1 | 1,831 |
Runs = range plus his arm and double-play runs spread over his positions by outs (Fielding Run Value, from 2023): what the rating counts.
At CF in 2026, the biggest loss came in (charging) (−5 outs): a coaching target.
Tools (percentile; arm among CFs)| Play | Made | Chances | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| ★★★★★ | 0 | 18 | 0% |
| ★★★★ | 2 | 4 | 50% |
| ★★★ | 8 | 9 | 89% |
| ★★ | 17 | 18 | 94% |
| ★ | 10 | 12 | 83% |
| Season | Zone | Balls | Outs vs. exp. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | LF | 86 | +3.3 |
| 2026 | CF | 248 | +4.6 |
The zone rating counts every ball hit to his part of the field while he played there, his club’s positioning included; Savant OAA uses his actual starting spot and is the better individual grade. They agree best in the outfield. See the model card.
Contract & projection
Club control (RosterResource) · Keystone projected WAR
* projected arbitration or minimum salary. Contract Studio →
Minor leagues
MLB Stats API · public box-score data
| SeasonLevel | Level | Team | Age | G | PA / IP | PA / IP ·Line |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026AAA | AAA | Reno Aces | 23 | 51 | 234 PA | 234 PA · .288/.405/.492 · 6 HR · 22.6% K · 13.2% BB |
| 2025A+ | A+ | Hillsboro Hops | 22 | 68 | 301 PA | 301 PA · .268/.415/.447 · 9 HR · 17.6% K · 16.9% BB |
| 2025AA | AA | Amarillo Sod Poodles | 22 | 66 | 300 PA | 300 PA · .309/.423/.498 · 9 HR · 17.7% K · 15.0% BB |
FanGraphs: FV 50 · ETA 2026 · #37 overall. Public pitch tracking exists only at Triple-A and some Florida State League parks.
ABS challenges · 2026
Baseball Savant