Blair Walters Must Prove Himself To Atlanta Braves In 2016 Spring Training

The Atlanta Braves have a pitcher in Blair Walters who is trying to resurrect a career for himself that looked so promising in 2013.

Walters was an 11th-round pick out of Hawaii by the Chicago White Sox. He was viewed purely as a starter during his time with their organization. He had a few up-and-down seasons playing rookie ball and at various levels of Class A baseball before the Sox moved him to the Houston Astros. This was another example of the volatile nature of Walters’ career. He had ERAs of 4.03, 7.01, 2.88 and 7.62 at four stops over two seasons.

Walters opened the 2013 season in Oklahoma City before being returned to Lancaster, where he pitched primarily out of the bullpen in high-A ball. After an unimpressive season in which he posted an ERA of 7.36, it appeared that his career may have been over. Walters was released by the Astros prior to the start of the 2014 season.

Then the rebirth began. Walters was signed by the Joliet Slammers of the independent Frontier League. He was a Frontier League All-Star, posting 2.74 ERA in the first half of the 2014 season. He was signed by the Braves on July 19, that year. Since then he has gone 12-9 over 37 appearances including 29 starts. He was a non-roster invitee with the Braves this spring under the guise of being looked at as a lefty reliever.

Walters hasn’t gotten an appearance in a regular spring training game yet. As he pitches in Class B games and minor league scrimmages, he needs to impress whatever scouts and talent evaluators are watching. The next time he pitches in the Frontier League, he isn’t coming back.