Jump to content

1B - Christian Walker #19


Tony-OH

Recommended Posts

If he could approach Delmonico level, we would be quite fortunate.

I'll say this about those two: I'd be shocked if Delmonico has a better career than Walker. I do not get the hype around Delmonico. Maybe he reminds me of his brother too much...I dunno. Not a fan of the bat at that position (I do not think he sticks at third). Did not like what I saw, but it was only twice this year.

Christian Walker, to me, is Doug Mientkiewicz.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Got to see Christian play in person back in April against Mississippi State. Friday night game in Columbia (one of the best stadium atmospheres in all of college baseball) and MSU had Chris Stratton on the mound. His disciplined approach at the plate definitely stood out to me then and I was thrilled when the O's drafted him a couple months later. Could be a nice find in the 4th round.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What is Delmonico level? Good chance Walker is a better player right NOW.

I know you are a Delmonico hater, but seriously, Walker should be better right now. He's 17 months older and has three years of major college baseball under his belt. Walker should be more advanced than Delmonico, but Delmonico has a much higher ceiling. Walker will play next year at 22-years old age and will probably be in Delmarva or Frederick to start the year while Delmonico will play at 20 next year and will most likely be in Frederic. If he spends an entire year at both Frederick and Bowie, he'll be knocking on AAA/Big leagues by the time he is 22-years old.

Regardless, a look at the frame suggests Delmonico, who already has flashed some light-tower power is going to fill out quite nicely and add to his power. Walker's best attribute is a nice approach at the plate, but his wide-body suggests the only thing he will battle is to keep the weight off as he gets older. Now, that's not to say that Walker is not a nice guy to have in the system. I love guys with his plate discipline and I would not be surprised if he outperforms his draft status, but as of today, his ceiling remains lower than Delmonico though Delmonico has a higher chance of totally washing out.

As Orioles fans, let's just be happy they are both in the system and hope they both reach their ceilings.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Walker seems to have every skill you want at the plate. Good discipline and power, decent hitter for average. Also, I like the fact that he has been on a winner in college.

On both Walker and Delmonico, I expect to see results in 2013. For different reasons, neither will remain an apple in my eye very long if I don't see real production. On the other hand, I expect them to produce, particularly Walker.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I like Walker a lot. He's slow, obviously, which limits him, but he's pretty agile with good footwork around the bag and impressive leaping ability. He's got a really short, compact stroke that's designed to get the bat on the ball, which he does well. When he really turns on a pitch it's impressive. I don't know if he's got the raw power to hit good pitches out, but his approach is solid and I think he can generate enough power from staying disciplined and punishing mistakes for his bat to play overall at 1B.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would call myself a Delmonico skeptic. Maybe he has a big season at Frederick and I will happily jump on the bandwagon. I just don't see much difference in prospect status between Walker and Delmonico. A much higher ceiling? Just what do you see Delmonico's ceiling as being?

I think Delmonico has a chance to be a .275-.285 hitter, .340 ish OPB, 25-30 homers type of guy. My biggest concern right now was his struggle against left-handers. If he struggles again next season I'll have even more concerns over it, but I think he's a got a chance to have a special bat.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Isn't that pretty close to Christian Walker's ceiling?

I don't think anyone projects that kind of power from Walker. That's his drawback, and that's why he was available in the 4th round despite his solid college numbers. I haven't seen him live yet so I'll with hold a final judgement. It's not beyond the possibility that Walker could end up better than Delmonico, but tell me who was the last college hitter the Orioles took after the 2nd round who made an impact in the major leagues in the last 20+ years?

Maybe Walker will be that guy? As an Orioles fan I certainly hope he is, but as an evaluator and after hearing through several scouting and organizational sources, Delmonico comes out much higher on overall ceiling right now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...