The Braves ushered in another rookie pitcher Wednesday.
Right-hander Jeremy Walker, a starter-turned-reliever, joined the bullpen. It was far from the expected for a player who had minimal experience with the big-league team in spring.
Yet it was well-earned: Walker owns a 2.84 ERA in 26 appearances this season across two minor-league levels. His command has been impeccable, striking out 71 against just eight walks.
He logged only 19 career innings with Triple-A Gwinnett before getting the call Tuesday night in Louisville. He and roommate Thomas Burrows, a fellow reliever, had gotten back to the hotel and were watching TV. Walker received a call from an unknown California number and ignored it.
It was Triple-A manager Damon Berryhill, trying to inform his reliever he was ticketed for the Atlanta Braves.
“My roommate said, ‘You might want to answer that,’” Walker said. “But I ignored it and got the voicemail. I called (Berryhill) back. At first I was – I mean, what do you say? So I just said, ‘All right let’s go,’ and he said, ‘You’ve got your flight tomorrow.’”
That flight was at 10:45 a.m Wednesday. Walker woke up at 8 a.m., working on little sleep. He already had told his family, and his parents, brother, sister-in-law, girlfriend and a couple of friends booked their trips to Atlanta.
Joel, his father, received the first call. Joel recently retired as manager of a heating-and-air company. That was Jeremy’s most proud moment.
“What are you doing tomorrow? Can you come to Atlanta?” Walker recalled asking his father. “And he said, ‘What for?’ So I said, ‘What other reason would you be coming to Atlanta for?’ He was like, ‘No way,’ and I said, ‘Yeah man, get over here.’”
The 24-year-old Walker has made tremendous strides this season, especially after enduring control struggles in 2018. Walker possesses a three-pitch arsenal: A fastball that registers 92-95 mph, a complementary curveball and a work-in-progress change-up.
“You look at the numbers, and he doesn’t walk anyone,” manager Brian Snitker said. “I’ve watched the video. He’s getting results. It’s the same way I felt about Jacob Webb last year. You look at numbers and dig, see who these guys are. You go down there, do well and put up numbers like that, you get noticed.
“Sometimes I think we’re maybe a right-hander away, and who knows? This might be a kid we have internally to fill that role.”
Walker is every bit of his listed 6-foot-5, 205-pound frame. He estimated himself more around 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds. His expertise is dealing strikes, by his own estimation, and generating groundballs.
One reason he’s up is because Wes Parsons struggled in that department, walking and hitting a batter with the bases loaded in Tuesday’s loss. Parsons was optioned to Triple-A, while righty Shane Carle was designated for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man roster.
Walker has emerged in his newfound relief role, but he won’t credit that as a reason for his sudden growth. His improved pitch selection, including less reliance on his fastball and mixing in his off-speed, is his self-appointed reason for development. He’s also maintained a more aggressive approach.
“I wouldn’t say (the bullpen move) helped me, necessarily,” he said. “You just have a different mentality starting versus relieving. You can focus for a shorter amount of time when you’re relieving. I like doing both but I seem to have made a jump as a reliever, so I’m happy with it.”
Consider the transition a resounding success. Walker now gets to audition for a regular spot in the Braves’ bullpen, where roles are undoubtedly up for grabs.
It’s still surreal for the righty, even knowing the Braves’ willingness to call upon their youngsters. He barely appeared in big-league camp last spring. Making matters harder, he watched all his friends experience it in larger quantities. Walker took that in stride and made the most of it.
“Most of my buddies went to big league camp and I wasn’t invited, which is fine,” he said. “You still have to do what you’ve got to do. I went over there probably three or four games, I think I threw twice. I did all right. I think I got two or three outs and they pulled me each time. It was good to go over there and get my feet wet a little bit.
“If you’d ask me then where I’d be now, I wouldn’t (have said) I’d be here.”
