Mark Bowman of MLB.com broke this morning that Jeremy Walker is the arm expected to take Wes Parsons place, who was packing his bags after last night’s dreadful showing.
Source: The Braves will add RHP Jeremy Walker (5th round, 2016) to their bullpen tonight. Walker has 71 K, 8 BB and a 2.84 ERA over 69.2 IP w/ Mississippi and Gwinnett this year. Wes Parsons was optioned after last night's game.
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) July 24, 2019
In our interview with Drew Waters, I asked the #3 prospect in the Braves system which teammate of his he’s been impressed by that most people aren’t talking about. Without hesitation, Waters brought up Jeremy Walker, calling his performance in Mississippi “eye-opening.”
A former starting pitcher, Walker made the transition to the bullpen this season, and it has panned out perfectly. He averaged nearly a strikeout per frame with only five walks in 58.2 innings with the AA Braves, leading to a promotion earlier this month.
His transition to Gwinnett did not start as smoothly. He gave up six earned runs in his first two appearances (3 innings), but has bounced back nicely in his last three outings, pitching eight scoreless frames with ten strikeouts.
Standing at 6’5″, Walker is an intimidating presence on the mound that posesses a heavy two-seamer that dives inside to right-handed batters. Here’s an example of how uncomfortable he can be to hit against.
https://twitter.com/kylemuller19/status/1143206176383000587
The majors are a different animal, but Walker has the potential to aid Atlanta down the playoff stretch. Look what Jacob Webb has been able to provide as a rookie. Walker is currently ranked #22 on the SporsTalkATL prospect list, and that might be a little low.
To make room on the 40-man roster, the Braves will have to move someone off of it. They could DFA someone. The most likely options are Shane Carle and Dan Winkler – both who have struggled since being demoted to AAA. Or they could move a player like Luiz Gohara to the 60-Day IL, as he does not appear to be returning this season.