Despite not winning, Brandon Walter is looking better for WooSox
Brandon Walter is currently ranked as the ninth best prospect in the Red Sox farm system, according to SoxProspects. That leaves him ranked as the third best pitcher in the system behind Bryan Mata and Luis Perales. He also currently shares a pitching rotation with Mata and another top-20 ranked pitching prospect in Chris Murphy.
Coming back from injury that sidelined him last season, as well as finding himself in a stacked rotation, Walter had pretty high expectations entering 2023 with the WooSox. His first start was a rough one and worst of the season. He only went 3.2 innings pitched and gave up five earned runs. He was able to rebound with a solid second start, as he went 5.2 innings pitched with zero earned runs.
I chatted with Walter after that second start, and he talked “getting back in a groove” after his injury cut things short for him last season.
Walter has since made two more starts for the WooSox. In his third start, Walter went five innings and only gave up two earned runs against a loaded Columbus Clippers lineup. He was able to put up his season best five strikeouts. He had only struck out four batters through two games prior so this was a big jump.
His fourth start of the year, which took place on Sunday against Lehigh Valley, was another five innings pitched. The strikeouts were back down as well as the strike throwing. In his 90 pitches, he threw 57 strikes. The southpaw mentioned how “uncharacteristic” it is for him to not be in the zone as much this year in some of his starts.
Four starts is a pretty small sample size, given that Walter has only thrown 19.1 innings pitched. His K/9 is the lowest it has ever been in his career, but for a guy coming back from injury, I wouldn’t put much into that at the moment. Walter currently carries the lowest ERA for a starter on the roster at 4.19. He is also doing a good job keeping the ball in the ballpark, with only one homerun given up in his four starts.
The 26-year-old lefty is back on the mound this Friday in Worcester when the WooSox take on the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders at Polar Park.
Follow Andrew on Twitter @ByAndrewParker
For additional Red Sox and Major League Baseball content, follow Beyond the Monster: Boston Red Sox on Twitter @BeyondtheMnstr
