University of Delaware Athletics
Brandon Walter Achieves Professional Baseball Dream
6/13/2019 11:05:00 AM | Baseball
A brief moment of panic came across Brandon Walter's thoughts.
What if I shattered this bone? What if my season's over now?
A line drive off the bat of a Northeastern Husky had just drilled Walter, a left-handed pitcher for the University of Delaware, on the elbow of his pitching arm, prompting him to question if this was the end of his dream to get drafted and play for a Major League Baseball franchise.
Of course, this wasn't the first time an injury to his pitching arm had put his major league dream into doubt. Almost two years prior, after throwing five scoreless innings and earning a win against Hofstra, Walter told the trainer he had felt a pop. An MRI later revealed that his ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) was torn and he would need Tommy John surgery to reconstruct it.
The recovery process from a Tommy John procedure is long and grueling: nine months at the earliest, but often taking a year and a half. Walter missed the rest of the 2017 season and the entire 2018 campaign. It wasn't until the spring before the 2019 season that he felt 100%.
"Even in the fall, I still didn't really feel like myself. It was long. It was kind of frustrating at times," Walter said. "You just have to realize that it's going to get there eventually, have to trust the process with all that."
Every day, he went to work to rehabilitate his body, strengthening the muscles around the UCL while working with Delaware's strength and conditioning staff to get in better overall shape.
"At that point, I thought maybe it wasn't possible," Walter said of his MLB dream after the UCL tear. "Through hard work, I was able to get back to where I was."
Walter emerged as the Friday starter, and entering the game against Northeastern had pitched to a 2.06 ERA, including a 10-strikeout performance in the Colonial Athletic Association opener at James Madison.
Thankfully, the impact of the line drive wasn't as serious as the UCL tear. His elbow swelled up, but with the help of the Delaware athletic training staff, it went down by the next weekend series against William & Mary. By Sunday, Walter was back on the mound scattering four runs across 6.2 innings and earning the win against the Tribe. The Major League dream was still alive.
On June 5, the Boston Red Sox selected Walter in the 26th round of the MLB Draft. Because of the sheer size of the MLB Draft (40 rounds), it doesn't have the pomp and circumstance as the NFL or NBA Drafts. Walter found out he had been selected as he was following the Draft Tracker online, keeping an eye on teams that had contacted him throughout the day, when he saw his name pop up next to the reigning World Series champions.
"It means a lot to me," Walter said. "It's definitely something I've wanted to do since as long as I can remember."
Walter will head to Massachusetts, where he will sign and report to the Lowell Spinners, the Class A Short Season affiliate of the Red Sox. A lot of draftees are fresh out of high school or junior colleges. Walter, a redshirt junior for the Blue Hens, will likely be one of the oldest players on the roster.
"I think my experience," Walter said of what will make him stand out at the professional level. "I've been through a lot. I've been through this surgery, I've been in college for four years, I've thrown a lot of innings in college."
Being a workhorse starter that can throw a lot of innings is something Walter takes pride in. He threw at least six innings in each of his last seven starts, and at least seven in the last three. His longevity is doubly impressive when considering how many strikeouts, which tend to raise pitch counts, he collects. In 2019, he became just the fourth pitcher in Blue Hen history to strike out over 100 batters in a season, finishing the year with 106.
"That's something I take pride in," Walter said. "I'm the kind of guy that wants to be in the game to finish the game."
Friedman Diamond in Brookline, Massachusetts, where Walter's injury scare put the dream into question, is just over 30 miles from Edward A. LeLacheur Park, where Walter will now begin his pro career with the Spinners.
The Spinners play in the New York-Penn League and Walter, a New Castle, Delaware native, is hoping to get the start when they face the Aberdeen Ironbirds, who are about 30 miles away from Delaware's campus.
No matter what diamond he's playing on, expect Walter to bring the same competitive fire he had as a Blue Hen.
"Every time I get on the mound, I'm trying to be that guy that's going to be competitive and try to win," Walter said. "That's what allows me to pitch as well as I can."
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What if I shattered this bone? What if my season's over now?
A line drive off the bat of a Northeastern Husky had just drilled Walter, a left-handed pitcher for the University of Delaware, on the elbow of his pitching arm, prompting him to question if this was the end of his dream to get drafted and play for a Major League Baseball franchise.
Of course, this wasn't the first time an injury to his pitching arm had put his major league dream into doubt. Almost two years prior, after throwing five scoreless innings and earning a win against Hofstra, Walter told the trainer he had felt a pop. An MRI later revealed that his ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) was torn and he would need Tommy John surgery to reconstruct it.
The recovery process from a Tommy John procedure is long and grueling: nine months at the earliest, but often taking a year and a half. Walter missed the rest of the 2017 season and the entire 2018 campaign. It wasn't until the spring before the 2019 season that he felt 100%.
"Even in the fall, I still didn't really feel like myself. It was long. It was kind of frustrating at times," Walter said. "You just have to realize that it's going to get there eventually, have to trust the process with all that."
Every day, he went to work to rehabilitate his body, strengthening the muscles around the UCL while working with Delaware's strength and conditioning staff to get in better overall shape.
"At that point, I thought maybe it wasn't possible," Walter said of his MLB dream after the UCL tear. "Through hard work, I was able to get back to where I was."
Walter emerged as the Friday starter, and entering the game against Northeastern had pitched to a 2.06 ERA, including a 10-strikeout performance in the Colonial Athletic Association opener at James Madison.
Thankfully, the impact of the line drive wasn't as serious as the UCL tear. His elbow swelled up, but with the help of the Delaware athletic training staff, it went down by the next weekend series against William & Mary. By Sunday, Walter was back on the mound scattering four runs across 6.2 innings and earning the win against the Tribe. The Major League dream was still alive.
On June 5, the Boston Red Sox selected Walter in the 26th round of the MLB Draft. Because of the sheer size of the MLB Draft (40 rounds), it doesn't have the pomp and circumstance as the NFL or NBA Drafts. Walter found out he had been selected as he was following the Draft Tracker online, keeping an eye on teams that had contacted him throughout the day, when he saw his name pop up next to the reigning World Series champions.
"It means a lot to me," Walter said. "It's definitely something I've wanted to do since as long as I can remember."
Walter will head to Massachusetts, where he will sign and report to the Lowell Spinners, the Class A Short Season affiliate of the Red Sox. A lot of draftees are fresh out of high school or junior colleges. Walter, a redshirt junior for the Blue Hens, will likely be one of the oldest players on the roster.
"I think my experience," Walter said of what will make him stand out at the professional level. "I've been through a lot. I've been through this surgery, I've been in college for four years, I've thrown a lot of innings in college."
Being a workhorse starter that can throw a lot of innings is something Walter takes pride in. He threw at least six innings in each of his last seven starts, and at least seven in the last three. His longevity is doubly impressive when considering how many strikeouts, which tend to raise pitch counts, he collects. In 2019, he became just the fourth pitcher in Blue Hen history to strike out over 100 batters in a season, finishing the year with 106.
"That's something I take pride in," Walter said. "I'm the kind of guy that wants to be in the game to finish the game."
Friedman Diamond in Brookline, Massachusetts, where Walter's injury scare put the dream into question, is just over 30 miles from Edward A. LeLacheur Park, where Walter will now begin his pro career with the Spinners.
The Spinners play in the New York-Penn League and Walter, a New Castle, Delaware native, is hoping to get the start when they face the Aberdeen Ironbirds, who are about 30 miles away from Delaware's campus.
No matter what diamond he's playing on, expect Walter to bring the same competitive fire he had as a Blue Hen.
"Every time I get on the mound, I'm trying to be that guy that's going to be competitive and try to win," Walter said. "That's what allows me to pitch as well as I can."
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