UPDATE: We’ve corrected Walker’s height, which MLB.com originally said was 6-6. Draft reports say he’s 6-4.
However, here’s a story from the Los Angeles Times that has him at 6-5 and, more important, dominant on the hill in the postseason playoffs. Let’s just say he’s a tall guy who has the ability to pitch with good downhill plane (can you say Doug Fister with more heat?).
Here is MLB.com’s scouting report on Walker.
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More than three hours after baseball’s amateur draft began, the Seattle Mariners’ finally got to pick tonight, 43rd overall in the compensation round.
They selected 6-foot-4 right-handed pitcher Taijuan Walker, a high schooler from Yaucaipa, Calif. Scouts say he’s a raw talent who’s got electric stuff but battles inconsistency, especially with his breaking ball.
Is this the guy the Mariners really wanted? Of course, they’ll say so.
But just before they selected, the Tampa Bay Rays selected Drew Vettleton, the star from South Kitsap High School who can pitch both left and right-handed. More than that, the Rays like his strong left-handed bat.
The question all of Everett wants to know (OK, some minor league fans here must be curious) is whether Walker will play this summer for the AquaSox. It’s too early to determine that. But, if he’s as raw as the scouting reports say, he’ll most likely start in rookie ball in Peoria, Ariz., (where Camano Island resident Andy Bottin manages that club) or possibly a step higher at short-season Pulaski, Va., in the Appalachian League. First, of course, he has to sign.
That’s it for the Mariners today. The draft action really picks up tomorrow with Rounds 2-30 and selections going in rapid-fire order.
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