Boston Red Sox top-30 prospect rankings after 2022 MiLB season
By Hunter Noll
No. 11: Red Sox starting pitching prospect Brandon Walter
2022 started out so promising for Brandon Walter. The left-handed pitcher began the year in Double-A and was basically untouchable. It took him just nine starts to get promoted to Triple-A.
That’s because his nine Double-A starts saw some wild stats. Walter posted a 2.88 ERA, .191 BAA, and astronomically-low 0.78 WHIP. In 50 innings he had 68 strikeouts compared to three walks. Let me say that again so you know it wasn’t a typo. He had 68 strikeouts compared to three walks.
Then Walter moved up to Triple-A. His first start there was rough. He allowed six runs on five hits and a walk (two strikeouts) in just 1 2/3 innings. Start two was much better though, as he quickly made adjustments. Walter gave up only one run on four hits and three walks (compared to five strikeouts), in six innings of work.
We didn’t get to see if he was going to keep building though. Walter didn’t make another appearance the rest of the year due to an injury. It was an injury that initially looked like it would not cause him to miss significant time. That ended up not being the case though. His last game was on June 8.
Even with the injury, Walter’s stock definitely rose. The 26-year-old is in a good position to find a spot in the Red Sox rotation at some point next season. It almost certainly would have happened in 2022 if it wasn’t for the injury (he probably would’ve gotten the call before Brayan Bello honestly).
The pitches are enticing. His fastball sits in the low-to-mid-90s with some decent movement. The selling point here is that he can put the pitch wherever he wants. So if he wants to bury it on a hitter’s hands, he’s going to do that. If he wants to dot you up on the outside corner, that’s happening too.
A slider that sits in the low-80s is next. There’s a strong horizontal break to it, that can really get away from hitters. This is definitely the least consistent of Walter’s pitches though. When it’s on, he’s going to get some ugly swings. But there are times when it loses some of its spin, and that can cause issues.
Finally, a changeup is his best pitch. I don’t even think anyone would argue with me on this either, it’s not my bias towards the pitch. The pitch works in the low-80s, and it looks exactly like his fastball out of his hand. Even Walter’s arm motion is identical. It takes off 10 MPH from his heater and has a great late dip to it though. This makes hitters look bad.
Fastball: 55
Slider: 55
Changeup: 60
Control: 60
Overall: 55