Adam Brett Walker Stats & Scouting Report

AB	2493
AVG	.24
OBP	.302
SLG	.468
HR	134

Full name Adam Brett Walker
Born 10/18/1991 in Milwaukee, WI
Profile Ht.: 6'5" / Wt.: 225 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Jacksonville
Drafted in the 3rd round (97th overall) by the Minnesota Twins in 2012 (signed for $490,400).

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A Wisconsin native, Walker comes from an athletic family, as his father (also Adam Brett) was an NFL replacement player in 1987 and a longtime football and track coach, while his mother was a college high jumper and volleyball player. Walker chose baseball and went South to play in college, helping lead Jacksonville to regionals in 2011 as the Atlantic Sun Conference player of the year. He hit .409/.486/.682 with 13 home runs and ranked in the top 10 in the nation in hits, RBIs and total bases. He also struck out 63 times, and then hit .216/.269/.336 with 56 strikeouts in 134 Cape Cod League at-bats last summer. Jacksonville has had a dreadful season with injuries but Walker has produced, though not quite as well as last season when the whole team was going well. Walker is an above-average runner who could move to the outfield if necessary, despite fringe-average arm strength. His value is in his bat, though, and he struggles to lay off breaking pitches or fastballs up and out of the zone. While he has cut his strikeout rate from 26 to 22.5 percent, his propensity to swing and miss may have cost him a shot at the first round.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

The Twins signed Walker for $490,400 as a third-rounder in 2012. He has been remarkably consistent as a professional--for better and worse. Though Walker has hit 25 or more home runs at each stop in full-season ball, he's also consistently been a league leader in strikeouts. In 2015 he became the first Twins minor leaguer (dating back to 1961) to lead the minors in strikeouts. In 2016 he did it again, striking out 38 percent of the time. Walker has some of the best raw power in the minors, but his swing-and-miss issues limit his ceiling. As such, the Twins declined to make him a September callup in 2016 despite his presence on the 40-man roster. That changed in November when the Twins designated him for assignment, and he made his way from the Brewers to the Orioles on the waiver wire. The Twins worked with Walker on his approach--and he's proven coachable and eager to learn--but pitch recognition remains a significant issue. He showed defensive growth in left field in 2016, but he grades as well below-average. Primarily a first baseman in college, Walker projects best as a DH, which is what made him attractive to the Orioles. At 25 and after a full season at Triple-A Rochester, he could see time in the majors in 2017. Walker has big league power, but his sky-high strikeout rate could hinder his ability to tap into it.
Blessed with raw power that rivals that of Miguel Sano, Walker signed for $490,400 as a third-round pick. Pitch recognition remains a major issue for Walker, who in 2015 became the first Twins farmhand (dating to 1961) to lead the minors in strikeouts. Earnest and coachable, he has worked hard with Chattanooga hitting coach Chad Allen, both with the Lookouts and again at the Arizona Fall League, to stay in the zone better and use the whole field, but breaking balls in the dirt continue to entice. His strikeout rate jumped to a career-high 35 percent and stayed in that range in the fall, where he alarmed rival scouts with throwing problems that seemed to worsen. After playing mostly first base in college, Walker's mechanical issues threaten to make him a defensive liability even in left field. A 55 runner, his athletic ability enables him to cover sufficient ground and he is getting more instinctive on the bases. After being added to the 40-man roster in November, Walker figures to head to Triple-A Rochester in 2016. If he closes some of the holes in his swing, Walker's massive power should get him to the majors as a DH at least, although he's currently blocked by Byung-ho Park.
Blessed with outstanding raw power, Walker signed for $490,400 as a 2012 third-round pick after putting on a show during his pre-draft workout at Target Field. His strikeout rate of 28 percent in 2014 remains a concern, but he continues to do damage when he does connect. His career slugging percentage is .484, and his top exit velocity was about 1 mph lower than that of system-leader Kennys Vargas. Rival managers have voted Walker the top power prospect in the Midwest and Florida State leagues the past two years. He has gradually improved his plate discipline and pitch recognition but continues to chase breaking pitches. Walker is a tick above-average as a runner and has decent instincts on the bases. After playing mostly first base at Jacksonville, he has remained in right field for the most part. His arm strength and accuracy are merely average, but his athletic ability enables him to cover enough ground.
Walker put on a power show during his pre-draft workout at Target Field and signed for $490,400. A Wisconsin native, Walker has a father who played for the Minnesota Vikings as a replacement player in 1987 and a mother who was a college high jumper and volleyball player. The Atlantic Sun Conference player of the year in 2011, Walker's stock dropped when he struck out 56 times in 134 at-bats in the Cape Cod League that summer. Walker has slugged .516 in pro ball, showing raw power the equal of Miguel Sano along with a flair for the dramatic. His two-out, three-run blast lifted Rookie-level Elizabethton to the Appalachian League title in the 2012 playoff finale, and Walker ranked third in the organization with 27 homers in 2013 at low Class A Cedar Rapids. Midwest League managers rated him the league's best power prospect. A streaky hitter, Walker showed better plate discipline but still has a tendency to chase breaking pitches. Walker is a tick-above-average as a runner, but he has yet to be caught in 14 career stolen base attempts. Mostly a first baseman in college, Walker made strides while spending most of his time in right field in 2013. His arm strength and accuracy are inconsistent, but he has the athletic ability to handle the corner outfield. Having earned comparisons with Astros slugger Chris Carter, Walker is headed to high Class A Fort Myers in 2014.
Playing for the Twins would be a sort of homecoming for Walker, whose father played for the NFL's Minnesota Vikings as a 1987 replacement player. The Wisconsin native also has an athletic mother who was a college high jumper and volleyball player. Walker was the Atlantic Sun Conference player of the year in 2011, hitting .409/.486/.682, but his stock dropped when he had trouble making contact in the Cape Cod League (.216, 56 strikeouts in 134 at-bats). His junior season was solid but less spectacular, and the Twins nabbed him with the 97th overall pick and $490,400 signing bonus. The Twins sent him to the Appy League, and he tied for the regular-season home runs lead, then added three in the playoffs as the E-Twins won the title. The third homer was a two-out, three-run blast to tie the winner-take-all finale in the bottom of the ninth. Power is Walker's calling card; his raw power matches that of Miguel Sano, and few players hit them farther. The rest of Walker's game is in progress; he has contact concerns with a late trigger, and he's raw in the outfield, having played a lot of first base in college. He's a slightly above-average runner and athletic enough to handle the outfield, though his arm strength and stroke are inconsistent. Just 20 when he was drafted, Walker will hit in the middle of low Class A Cedar Rapids' 2013 lineup.

Draft Prospects

A Wisconsin native, Walker comes from an athletic family, as his father (also Adam Brett) was an NFL replacement player in 1987 and a longtime football and track coach, while his mother was a college high jumper and volleyball player. Walker chose baseball and went South to play in college, helping lead Jacksonville to regionals in 2011 as the Atlantic Sun Conference player of the year. He hit .409/.486/.682 with 13 home runs and ranked in the top 10 in the nation in hits, RBIs and total bases. He also struck out 63 times, and then hit .216/.269/.336 with 56 strikeouts in 134 Cape Cod League at-bats last summer. Jacksonville has had a dreadful season with injuries but Walker has produced, though not quite as well as last season when the whole team was going well. Walker is an above-average runner who could move to the outfield if necessary, despite fringe-average arm strength. His value is in his bat, though, and he struggles to lay off breaking pitches or fastballs up and out of the zone. While he has cut his strikeout rate from 26 to 22.5 percent, his propensity to swing and miss may have cost him a shot at the first round.

Minor League Top Prospects

A terrible end to his summer in the Cape Cod League in 2011 hurt Walker?s draft stock, and he?s been making pitchers pay for that slight ever since. Walker?s 27 home runs led the MWL, and his raw power is exceptional. Unlike most home run hitters, his average home run is a towering flyball that has enough carry to make it to the seats. When Walker really connects, no center-field batter?s eye can hold the ball in the park. Walker is an average runner from home to first but is better than that underway, as evidenced by his 100 percent success rate on stolen bases. In right field, he still has work to do on his jumps, and his arm is average, which leads scouts to project a future in left field if he?s going to be a big leaguer. Other scouts believe his ultimate destination is first base.