Jeremy Walker

Undrafted out of high school, Walker slowly but steadily developed into a prospect over his three-year career at Gardner-Webb. He forced his way into the rotation by his sophomore year, and took off as a junior this season. Walker has the body type that scouts look for in a young pitcher, with a high waist and wide shoulders defining his lanky 6-foot-5, 200-pound frame. His delivery starts with a hand pump to his hips and an early hand break, then he wraps his arm behind his back slightly before firing through a slightly higher three-quarters arm slot. Walker shows present stuff, with his fastball sitting routinely at 89-93 and bumping 94 often, though scoutssaid they saw him reach as high as 96 mph late in his junior season. The righthander throws a sweeping, early-breaking slider in the low 80s, which he locates to either side of the plate, and a soft curveball in the mid-70s to keep hitters off-balance the second time through the order. Walker could add more velocity down the line, as there's room for him to improve his hip-shoulder separation and improve his timing to get the most out of his natural strength.