Trey Faltine was a highly regarded preparation prospect in the 2019 MLB Draft. However, the Richmond, Texas native didn’t jump straight into the pro ball after high school. Instead, he honored his commitment to the University of Texas at Austin.
The decision to play varsity baseball has paid off for Faltine over the past two and a half years. The shortstop honed his skills and showed encouraging results. He also worked with former MLB shortstop and current Texas assistant coach Troy Tulowitzki.
Faltine’s experiences in college helped him become one of the best players in college baseball. Scouts rave about Faltine’s defensive skills and her improved offensive abilities. They are projecting Faltine as a potential pick at the start of the 2022 draft.
“It’s a huge thing for me to know that I’m better prepared for the draft than the first time around,” said Faltine. “In high school, you feel the pressure. But having the opportunity again makes me feel more relaxed and at ease. I can tell my teammates about it and learn from the experience after having had it before. “
Faltine is a 6-foot-2, 200-pound shortstop that has all the features to stay on the long-term shortstop. He has above average arm strength and strong athleticism, which allows him to do all routine games. He also moves well alongside him, allowing him to make highlight play.
“I try not to make things too complicated,” Faltine said. “People watch the crazy games I play, but I just focus on the routine games. I want to be super consistent and take pride in doing the routine games. Having this mindset helps me be successful in the game.
In his first two years in Texas, Faltine reached 0.251 with 21 doubles, six homers and 44 RBIs in 275 at-bat appearances. He registered 83 strikeouts against 41 walks.
Faltine is a wide spread hitter right now, but has the potential to strike for power in the future. It has simple mechanics and uses a short, compact swing to hit the ball hard.
Faltine refined his approach in hopes of attacking mistakes earlier in the count and reducing his strikeouts.
“I’ve been working on reducing strikeouts and improving my walk ratio,” Faltine said. “I really worked hard in my double-barreled mindset and worked hard to be aggressive and sway over terrains that I knew I could handle and do damage with those terrains.”
Last year, Texas qualified for the College World Series for the second time in the last three playoffs. The Longhorns finished third in the University World Series and posted a 50-17 record last season.
The Longhorns hope to return to the Collegiate World Series and win the program’s first national championship since 2005.
“There are a lot of teams that come for us after our participation in the College World Series,” said Faltine. “We have to adopt the same mindset, but realize that we will not be perfect. This season we have a lot of ghosts who know what it takes. We just need to have that panic-free mindset this year. “
Read more in-depth articles on the top prospects in the 2022 MLB Draft at Baseball Prospect Journal.
Dan Zielinski III covered the MLB Draft for seven years. He interviewed 356 of the draft’s top prospects during that span, including four No.1 picks in total. Several publications, including Baseball America, USA Today, MLB.com and The Arizona Republic, have cited his work, while he appeared on radio stations as the “MLB Project Expert”. Follow him on twitter @ DanZielinski3.
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