PDQ Player of the Week: Brandon Walker

01/21/17- FSU Commit. The 6-foot, 180 pound RHP/SS was extremely impressive with big time tools, especially on the mound. Very physical with big back side and strong legs. Arm swing was medium to long, but super easy and effortless. Repeated his motion flawlessly and fastball was 90-92 mph in the later part of the game after going through a full workout, plus it got a bit colder by his inning of work.. Slider was 74-76 mph, and will be a plus pitch if not already. Fastball has late life, and jumped on hitters. There was so little effort that the ball looked to explode out of his hand with a flick of the wrist. One of the younger players in attendance, he showed the tools to be a potential day one draft pick by his senior season.

8/25/16- Walker has a strong, athletic frame at 6 feet, 175 pounds with a high waist. He takes a medium leg kick on the mound and looks more like a thrower now, but has arm strength and flashed a solid arsenal. His fastball started out 86-89, before settling in at 84-86 in his second inning of work. He pitches from a high-3/4 slot and mixed in two breaking balls. His curveball was loopy and inconsistent, but flashed depth. His slider had short break, acting like a cutter at 81.

3/14/16 - Florida St recruit. 6-foot, 170 pound infielder with an athletic strong young body. Fair actions with an above average arm. Occasionally gets caught in between hops. Shows quickness and strength in the bat. Occasionally gets out front on off speed stuff but handles good fast balls with ease. Still some crudeness in his game but still very young. Very athletic kid with a ton of upside. Crushed a double off the left field wall. Is and will continue to be one of the top players in his class.

1/30/16- Committed to Florida State.

8/5/15 - At 6-foot, 170 pounds, Walker is a very athletic kid with good tools that is already put together physically. A great body with a high ceiling. He has a short quick swing with good bat speed. He already shows some power at his age with much more to come in the future. His approach, strike zone discipline etc… at the plate will continue to improve with game reps. He showed good actions at short stop with good hands. He stands up to throw but when he throws, the ball really jumps out of his hand with carry. Shows an average ML arm now. We couldn’t run the 60 yard dash, but he showed good acceleration with an easy stride and has another gear. Looks like at least an above average ML runner.

On the mound, Walker had a long loose live arm at a high ¾ slot. His fastball was 84-86 mph with arm side run and glove side cut action. The curve ball was 69-71 mph with a downer type tight rotation. He takes the ball out past his hip, lands across his body and occasionally gets around the ball. He has a very quick arm but occasionally leaves it behind from the stretch which effects his release point out front. Delivery is fluid. Just needs to repeat delivery more consistently to improve command.

Hard to say at this stage where Brandon Walker will end up on the field. A lot will depend on how his body and skills develop in the coming years. Physical maturity and training will take care of his body, and reps will help fine tune his skills. Right now I would say he has a chance to be a good 2 way guy in college and will begin to attract college recruiters’ attention soon.

1/10/15 Scorpions tryout - Very young looking kid with lots of upside. I only saw him throw a quick bullpen session indoors but he really impressed me. His fastball was 80-82 from a high ¾ arm slot and it was fairly easy. He also flashed the makings of a developing curve ball at 68-69. This kid has lots of physical development and should only get better as he continues to work on his mechanics and delivery.   12/17/14 Lean loose very young athletic body with loose arm on the mound. FB 82-83 with an easy working arm. Good acions in field. Ran a 6.7, 60. Very toolsy very young kid with a high ceiling.