![]() ![]() Because I much enjoyed working for Camden House, which allowed me to make use of the knowledge I had gained earning two degrees in German, and because I had a good impression of Richard and B&B and would still be working with my mentor Jim Hardin, I was inclined to give B&B a try. At that point I had to decide whether to move north to work in B&B’s US offices in Rochester, New York or stay in South Carolina and find a different job. I have fond memories of chauffeuring Richard around my hometown of Columbia, South Carolina in my little Toyota pickup when he made the trip over from England to finalize the purchase in late 1997. That is assuming he’s still on the Braves by the time you are done reading this.I had been with Camden House for almost four years when its owners, Jim Hardin and Gunther Holst, who had been professors of mine at the University of South Carolina, decided to sell the company to Boydell & Brewer, which was led at the time by its co-founder Richard Barber, and which had been distributing Camden House books since some years before I joined in 1994. His power is just too attractive to overlook, and at 25 and in a new system, he may finally get his chance. Walker clearly has some setbacks, which have held him back. The Braves could always use an extra power bat in a lineup that has finished dead last in baseball in home runs the past two seasons. Perhaps his power would be most effective in a limited role, taking the time to finally learn how to lay off breaking pitches. The Braves starting outfield is set, so his shortcomings in the field as a fourth outfielder won’t be as glaring. That is, assuming Walker sticks around longer than his last two spots. Perhaps they could do the same for Walker. The Braves took Adonis Garcia - a 30 year old "prospect" - out of the Yankees farm system and have made him a functional place holder on their ever-evolving team. Walker seemed much more apt as a designated hitter than a position player, but the Braves currently have him penciled in on their 40-man roster. The move to left field hasn’t produced anything noteworthy. A former collegiate first baseman, Walker was moved to the outfield because the Twins saw him as a liability at his original position. It is somewhat a surprising move for Walker to come to the National League. He has traveled from the Milwaukee Brewers to the Baltimore Orioles and now to the Braves. The Braves are now his third landing spot this offseason alone. The Twins waived him this offseason with Daniel Palka looking ready to make an impact at the next level. Despite an MLB-worst 59-win season, and a left field platoon that saw names like Eddie Rosario, Robbie Grossman and Oswaldo Arcia get regular at bats, Walker wasn’t given a chance. Thus, Walker has sat in the Twins farm system. ![]() He followed up that performance by leading the International League in strikeouts last year. That feat was somewhat overlooked when he became the first Twin to lead the minor leagues in strikeouts that season, a whopping 195. Walker led the Southern League in home runs by a wide margin in 2015 with 31. ![]() Big league pitching would simply eat him alive. He has a career 30 percent strikeout rate in the minor leagues. He has also struck out 668 times over that same span over 2,197 plate appearances. The past four full seasons in the Twins farm system has seen Walker blast 110 home runs. The problem is that his game simply hasn’t matured. He then launched 14 home runs in his 58-game professional debut in the Appy League. He was coming off of a huge final season at Jacksonville, slashing. Walker was a third round draft pick by the Minnesota Twins in 2012. That could change with the Atlanta Braves. Despite blasting monster home runs for the duration of his professional career, he has yet to see a big league pitch. It is hard to find a prospect with as much power that Adam Brett Walker has displayed the past four seasons.
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