Brandon Walter

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Boston Red Sox #10 prospect in 2023
  BA Grade/Risk: 45/Medium
  
  Track Record: When Walter returned from Tommy John surgery in his 2019 draft year, his fastball only got to the mid-to-high 80s, but his movement, command and ability to change speeds impressed area scout Reed Gragnani and convinced the Red Sox to draft him in the 26th round. He built strength during the Covid shutdown, and in the spring of 2021, the Red Sox were floored when Walter threw mid-90s sinkers. His bullpen dominance led to a shift to the rotation, and he struck out 36% of batters in 2021. Walter opened 2022 in the Double-A Portland rotation, posting a 68-to-3 strikeout-to-walk rate in 50 innings before a May promotion to Triple-A. But his season ended in early June after just two starts in Worcester due to a bulging cervical disk.
  
  Scouting Report: Walter creates an extreme angle with a whippy, cross-body delivery from a low three-quarters arm slot. He confuses hitters with a three-pitch mix that generates grounders and whiffs. Walter works relentlessly in the strike zone with his sinker--mostly 88-90 mph in 2022, down from 92-94 mph in 2021--to set up a devastating low-80s slider that has elite plate-wide sweep, as well as an above-average changeup with depth and fade. Even at his lower 2022 velocity, Walter beat hitters in the strike zone with three pitches, suggesting a rotation profile so long as he can stay healthy. Still, between the Covid year and his 2022 injury, Walter enters 2023 as a 26-year-old with just 180 career innings, making his ability to handle a starter's workload unknown.
  
  The Future: Walter likely will open 2023 in the Triple-A Worcester rotation, but if he's healthy he may be Boston's best depth starting option. His mix profiles as that of a No. 4 starter if he can handle the workload. Otherwise, he could be a nasty multi-innings reliever for one time through the order.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 50. Slider: 70. Changeup: 55. Control: 60
• 
  Ranked Boston Red Sox #11 prospect in 2022
  Track Record: Walter had Tommy John surgery in his sophomore year at Delaware in 2017 and missed the entire 2018 season while rehabbing, but showed enough feel for pitching during his return as a redshirt junior to convince the Sox to take him as a day three selection. He was diligent in his work during the 2020 shutdown and returned as a different pitcher, with major gains in his entire arsenal that produced the most unexpected leap in the Sox system in 2021.
  
  Scouting Report: Walter represents an unusual case: A pitcher whose age suggests reservations about his impressive numbers at two levels of Class A—particularly given that the Sox had him open the year out of the bullpen. But his stuff and pitch data suggest reason to believe in a big ceiling, making him a popular target in trade talks. The lefty throws from a low three-quarters arm slot and is a database-breaker for hitters, particularly now that his sinker sits at 93-95 mph with a sweeping slider and changeup that plays against both righties and lefties. His 5.4% walk rate is more indicative of Walter’s ability to induce chases than control. He’ll need to throw more strikes to stay in the rotation, but his raw stuff is elite.
  
  The Future: Walter likely will be pushed to Double-A to open 2022, and the upper levels will give a greater indication of whether he’s a late-blooming starter or if 2021 was a mirage. If his stuff holds and he harnesses his pitches in the zone, he may challenge the Sox to put him on an aggressive development track.
  

• February, 2023 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 45/Medium
  
  Track Record: When Walter returned from Tommy John surgery in his 2019 draft year, his fastball only got to the mid-to-high 80s, but his movement, command and ability to change speeds impressed area scout Reed Gragnani and convinced the Red Sox to draft him in the 26th round. He built strength during the Covid shutdown, and in the spring of 2021, the Red Sox were floored when Walter threw mid-90s sinkers. His bullpen dominance led to a shift to the rotation, and he struck out 36% of batters in 2021. Walter opened 2022 in the Double-A Portland rotation, posting a 68-to-3 strikeout-to-walk rate in 50 innings before a May promotion to Triple-A. But his season ended in early June after just two starts in Worcester due to a bulging cervical disk.
  
  Scouting Report: Walter creates an extreme angle with a whippy, cross-body delivery from a low three-quarters arm slot. He confuses hitters with a three-pitch mix that generates grounders and whiffs. Walter works relentlessly in the strike zone with his sinker--mostly 88-90 mph in 2022, down from 92-94 mph in 2021--to set up a devastating low-80s slider that has elite plate-wide sweep, as well as an above-average changeup with depth and fade. Even at his lower 2022 velocity, Walter beat hitters in the strike zone with three pitches, suggesting a rotation profile so long as he can stay healthy. Still, between the Covid year and his 2022 injury, Walter enters 2023 as a 26-year-old with just 180 career innings, making his ability to handle a starter's workload unknown.
  
  The Future: Walter likely will open 2023 in the Triple-A Worcester rotation, but if he's healthy he may be Boston's best depth starting option. His mix profiles as that of a No. 4 starter if he can handle the workload. Otherwise, he could be a nasty multi-innings reliever for one time through the order.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 50. Slider: 70. Changeup: 55. Control: 60
• December, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 45/Medium
  
  Track Record: When Walter returned from Tommy John surgery in his 2019 draft year, his fastball only got to the mid-to-high 80s, but his movement, command and ability to change speeds impressed area scout Reed Gragnani and convinced the Red Sox to draft him in the 26th round. He built strength during the Covid shutdown, and in the spring of 2021, the Red Sox were floored when Walter threw mid-90s sinkers. His bullpen dominance led to a shift to the rotation, and he struck out 36% of batters in 2021. Walter opened 2022 in the Double-A Portland rotation, posting a 68-to-3 strikeout-to-walk rate in 50 innings before a May promotion to Triple-A. But his season ended in early June after just two starts in Worcester due to a bulging cervical disk.
  
  Scouting Report: Walter creates an extreme angle with a whippy, cross-body delivery from a low three-quarters arm slot. He confuses hitters with a three-pitch mix that generates grounders and whiffs. Walter works relentlessly in the strike zone with his sinker--mostly 88-90 mph in 2022, down from 92-94 mph in 2021--to set up a devastating low-80s slider that has elite plate-wide sweep, as well as an above-average changeup with depth and fade. Even at his lower 2022 velocity, Walter beat hitters in the strike zone with three pitches, suggesting a rotation profile so long as he can stay healthy. Still, between the Covid year and his 2022 injury, Walter enters 2023 as a 26-year-old with just 180 career innings, making his ability to handle a starter's workload unknown.
  
  The Future: Walter likely will open 2023 in the Triple-A Worcester rotation, but if he's healthy he may be Boston's best depth starting option. His mix profiles as that of a No. 4 starter if he can handle the workload. Otherwise, he could be a nasty multi-innings reliever for one time through the order.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 50. Slider: 70. Changeup: 55. Control: 60
• April, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade: 50/High
  
  Track Record: Walter had Tommy John surgery in his sophomore year at Delaware in 2017 and missed the entire 2018 season while rehabbing, but showed enough feel for pitching during his return as a redshirt junior to convince the Sox to take him as a day three selection. He was diligent in his work during the 2020 shutdown and returned as a different pitcher, with major gains in his entire arsenal that produced the most unexpected leap in the Sox system in 2021.
  
  Scouting Report: Walter represents an unusual case: A pitcher whose age suggests reservations about his impressive numbers at two levels of Class A—particularly given that the Sox had him open the year out of the bullpen. But his stuff and pitch data suggest reason to believe in a big ceiling, making him a popular target in trade talks. The lefty throws from a low three-quarters arm slot and is a database-breaker for hitters, particularly now that his sinker sits at 93-95 mph with a sweeping slider and changeup that plays against both righties and lefties. His 5.4% walk rate is more indicative of Walter&#39s ability to induce chases than control. He&#39ll need to throw more strikes to stay in the rotation, but his raw stuff is elite.
  
  The Future: Walter likely will be pushed to Double-A to open 2022, and the upper levels will give a greater indication of whether he&#39s a late-blooming starter or if 2021 was a mirage. If his stuff holds and he harnesses his pitches in the zone, he may challenge the Sox to put him on an aggressive development track.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 50. Slideer: 60. Changeup: 55. Control: 55
• December, 2021 Scouting Report
  Track Record: Walter had Tommy John surgery in his sophomore year at Delaware in 2017 and missed the entire 2018 season while rehabbing, but showed enough feel for pitching during his return as a redshirt junior to convince the Sox to take him as a day three selection. He was diligent in his work during the 2020 shutdown and returned as a different pitcher, with major gains in his entire arsenal that produced the most unexpected leap in the Sox system in 2021.
  
  Scouting Report: Walter represents an unusual case: A pitcher whose age suggests reservations about his impressive numbers at two levels of Class A—particularly given that the Sox had him open the year out of the bullpen. But his stuff and pitch data suggest reason to believe in a big ceiling, making him a popular target in trade talks. The lefty throws from a low three-quarters arm slot and is a database-breaker for hitters, particularly now that his sinker sits at 93-95 mph with a sweeping slider and changeup that plays against both righties and lefties. His 5.4% walk rate is more indicative of Walter’s ability to induce chases than control. He’ll need to throw more strikes to stay in the rotation, but his raw stuff is elite.
  
  The Future: Walter likely will be pushed to Double-A to open 2022, and the upper levels will give a greater indication of whether he’s a late-blooming starter or if 2021 was a mirage. If his stuff holds and he harnesses his pitches in the zone, he may challenge the Sox to put him on an aggressive development track.