Tanner Houck’s facial fracture has opened up another slot in the Boston Red Sox’ starting rotation, and this time the team is dipping into its Minor League system to fill it. Boston is reportedly set to call up lefty Brandon Walter — the team’s seventh-ranked prospect, per MLB Pipeline — from Triple-A ahead of Thursday’s game against the Minnesota Twins. While it’s unclear whether Walter will actually make his first MLB start or follow an opener, it seems like a sure thing that he’ll play a major role.
Red Sox planning to recall LHP Brandon Walter for tomorrow afternoon. He is 1-5, 6.28 in 12 AAA games. 1.65 WHIP. Could follow an opener.
— Pete Abraham (@PeteAbe) June 21, 2023
Walter took the long way to get to the cusp of the big leagues. He’s never been one to light up a radar gun, topping out in the low 90s with his fastball on a good day, and after a pedestrian career at the University of Delaware — which included Tommy John surgery — he had to wait until the 26th round of the 2019 draft to hear his name called. His pro career didn’t get off to the best start, as the COVID pandemic wiped out the 2020 season.
But when Walter was finally able to get back on a mound, he thrived, tearing up two levels of A-ball in 2021 and then posting a 2.88 ERA and 68 strikeouts in 50 innings at Double-A last season. How did he do it? You don’t need velocity when you have among the most wicked sweepers in the Minors.
Brandon Walter is perhaps the most under-appreciated pitching prospect in the #RedSox system.
— Ryan Medeiros (@RRyanmedeiros) February 7, 2023
The 26-year-old had just 3 BB (!) to 68 K across 50 innings with AA Portland in 2022 before a neck injury derailed his promotion to AAA. pic.twitter.com/1FGx4MHaSV
Walter paired that breaker with a changeup solid enough to keep righties honest, and hitters simply couldn’t adjust. There’s a good chance that arsenal would’ve carried him all the way to the Majors last year if not for a neck strain that sidelined him shortly after a promotion to Triple-A.
That strong performance understandably gave Walter some real helium headed into 2023. But for whatever reason, the results haven’t been the same so far this year, with an ugly 6.28 ERA and 1.654 WHIP over his first 12 starts. When he’s right, he reminds a bit of another soft-tossing Red Sox lefty: Rich Hill. But it remains to be seen whether the breaking ball is good enough to carry him to a starting role on its own, or whether he’ll need to add another pitch and/or refine his fastball in order to make it through a lineup at the highest levels.
