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4th Round - Christian Walker: 1B, University of South Carolina


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Below are Brandon Snyder's numbers with Texas. I think a more proper argument for those Snyder skeptics is that he is doing it for Texas and he was not able to do it for the O's. He admitted that Norfolk got into his head. Maybe he just needed to get a change of scenery to become a useful asset to someone. He may never become a regular starter but he seems to be staking a decent claim to be a successful bench guy. I just wish folks would stop the negativity. Not like Brandon was screwing up on purpose.

G-23

AB-38

R-7

H-12

TB-22

2B-1

3B-0

HR-3

RBI-8

BB-3

IBB-0

SO-14

SB-0

CS-0

AVG.-.316

OBP-.366

SLG-.579

OPS-.945

GO/AO-0.63

Edited by coe76
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Late to the thread. But I like this pick. A really solid all-around bat limited by his athleticism. If his development goes really well you could end up with a .280/.350/.450 hitter. I just wish Walker was a little more athletic so you could hide him at the hot corner or at least stick him in LF. As it is, he probably ends up a tweener - another name on the long list of average or better ML hitters who won't ever have a ML career. Which is why he was available in the fourth round.

Not a bad pick, though. Put some wood in his hands and see if he can manifest some pop.

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Hoosiers is right to point out Walker's draft round -- if you're expecting to get a player without flaws in the 4th round, you're expecting too much.

That said, teams sometimes find good value there. Walker was the 132nd pick in the draft. Previous 132nd picks:

Devon White 44 WAR

Ray Durham 31 WAR

Chone Figgins 19 WAR

The best the Orioles have ever done in the 4th round is Brad Bergesen, 2.3 WAR.

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That said, teams sometimes find good value there. Walker was the 132nd pick in the draft. Previous 132nd picks:

Devon White 44 WAR

Ray Durham 31 WAR

Chone Figgins 19 WAR

The best the Orioles have ever done in the 4th round is Brad Bergesen, 2.3 WAR.

All four of those players were drafted as high schoolers. Sort of a different profile on the probability/upside scale.

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All four of those players were drafted as high schoolers. Sort of a different profile on the probability/upside scale.

Fair point. I was just trying to point out that sometimes a 4th rounder can turn out a lot better than expected. It's never happened for the Orioles, though, with Bergy being the best they have ever produced. Some college 4th rounders who were very good:

Jeff Bagwell 77 WAR

Ozzie Smith 73 WAR

Craig Nettles 63 WAR

Luis Gonzalez 48 WAR

David Justice 38 WAR

Cliff Lee 31 WAR

Ken Holtzman 24 WAR

Scott Erickson 22 WAR

Jason Thompson 22 WAR

Stan Bahnsen 20 WAR

David DeJesus 18 WAR

Jonathan Papelbon 16 WAR

Michael Bourn 16 WAR

Paul Byrd 14 WAR

Jim Beattie 14 WAR

Mike McFarlane 13 WAR

Mike Henneman 12 WAR

Russ Ortiz 12 WAR

Kirk McCaskill 12 WAR

Now, in fairness, most of these guys were chosen when there were fewer MLB teams and there weren't as many (if any) supplemental picks, so they were more like 3rd rounders today. Here are some college guys chosen after pick no. 132 in past drafts (I will just use picks 133-142 to keep this short):

Jamie Moyer 45 WAR

Bill Doran 31 WAR

Lance Johnson 28 WAR

Brett Boone 20 WAR

Ryan Howard 18 WAR

Alvin Davis 18 WAR

CJ Wilson 12 WAR

Jeff Brantley 11 WAR

So, it's not like it's impossible to find a good college player in the 4th round (or 132nd pick overall). It's just not easy.

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Fair point. I was just trying to point out that sometimes a 4th rounder can turn out a lot better than expected. It's never happened for the Orioles, though, with Bergy being the best they have ever produced. Some college 4th rounders who were very good:

Jeff Bagwell 77 WAR

Ozzie Smith 73 WAR

Craig Nettles 63 WAR

Luis Gonzalez 48 WAR

David Justice 38 WAR

Cliff Lee 31 WAR

Ken Holtzman 24 WAR

Scott Erickson 22 WAR

Jason Thompson 22 WAR

Stan Bahnsen 20 WAR

David DeJesus 18 WAR

Jonathan Papelbon 16 WAR

Michael Bourn 16 WAR

Paul Byrd 14 WAR

Jim Beattie 14 WAR

Mike McFarlane 13 WAR

Mike Henneman 12 WAR

Russ Ortiz 12 WAR

Kirk McCaskill 12 WAR

Now, in fairness, most of these guys were chosen when there were fewer MLB teams and there weren't as many (if any) supplemental picks, so they were more like 3rd rounders today. Here are some college guys chosen after pick no. 132 in past drafts (I will just use picks 133-142 to keep this short):

Jamie Moyer 45 WAR

Bill Doran 31 WAR

Lance Johnson 28 WAR

Brett Boone 20 WAR

Ryan Howard 18 WAR

Alvin Davis 18 WAR

CJ Wilson 12 WAR

Jeff Brantley 11 WAR

So, it's not like it's impossible to find a good college player in the 4th round (or 132nd pick overall). It's just not easy.

Agreed. Not to say Walker can't be good. Just tempering expectations, as write-ups at BA tend to be rosy.

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Late to the thread. But I like this pick. A really solid all-around bat limited by his athleticism. If his development goes really well you could end up with a .280/.350/.450 hitter. I just wish Walker was a little more athletic so you could hide him at the hot corner or at least stick him in LF. As it is, he probably ends up a tweener - another name on the long list of average or better ML hitters who won't ever have a ML career. Which is why he was available in the fourth round.

Not a bad pick, though. Put some wood in his hands and see if he can manifest some pop.

I also like the pick. The guy might not meet the raw tools criteria scouts seem so hung up on but on the other hand, he has succeeded with flying colors at the highest levels available to him. In my opinion he has earned the chance to ply his trade at the next level.

Love the plate discipline. Love the track record. Honostly it looks like he does have some decent power.

Put a bird on his hat.

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  • 2 weeks later...

South Carolina was eliminated last night, so hopefully we'll sign Walker soon. During the 7 games of the CWS, Walker hit .381/.552/.429. Seems like they pitched around him a lot. He got a hit in his final at bat, in the 9th inning of yesterday's loss.

Edited by Frobby
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South Carolina was eliminated last night, so hopefully we'll sign Walker soon.

Has anyone seen him play in the series other than Toonces above? I saw him GIDP once in my small sample. Reports are that he's a gamer with potential to be (dare I say?) the next Casey Kotchman!

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Has anyone seen him play in the series other than Toonces above? I saw him GIDP once in my small sample. Reports are that he's a gamer with potential to be (dare I say?) the next Casey Kotchman!
So, you're saying he'll be oft-injured and traded 4 times before he's 27? :D
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