- Full name Walker Payne Janek
- Born 09/24/2002 in Portland, TX
- Profile Ht.: 6'0" / Wt.: 190 / Bats: R / Throws: R
- School Sam Houston
Top Rankings
Draft Prospects
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School: Sam Houston State Committed: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.8
Janek is a well-rounded catcher who has earned a reputation as one of the better catch-and-throw backstops in the country, while also hitting .304/.403/.507 combined in his first two seasons with Sam Houston State. A 6-foot, 190-pound backstop, Janek has a prototypical catcher’s build and looks the part behind the plate. He presents the ball well and sets up comfortably and athletically and employs a one-knee setup with a kickstand left leg frequently. He moves well laterally and has soft, deft hands and centering ability while blocking, and also has a quick and efficient transfer on throws. He has plus arm strength and gets rid of the ball quickly with solid accuracy, and will turn in 1.85-second pop times in games. Between his first two seasons at Sam Houston State and a 2023 stint in the Cape Cod League, Janek has thrown out 27.3% (33-for-121) of baserunners. Offensively, Janek sets up with a crouched and spread stance. He shows power to the pull side and is a low ball, fastball hitter who needs to improve his production vs. spin. His bat can get in and out of the zone quickly and he’ll expand the zone a bit too often, though he has solid contact skills and has still managed a 10%+ walk rate. Janek is a solid runner for a catcher and has all the tools to stick at the position and be an above-average defender there.
