Walters Nears Record as Orioles' Prospect

At the start of this minor league baseball season David Walters was one of the candidates to be the ninth inning closer out of the bullpen for the Delmarva Shorebirds, a farm team of the Baltimore Orioles in Salisbury.

Another candidate was Clayton Schrader. While Schrader was a 10th round pick of the Orioles last year, River Hill graduate Walters was not even drafted coming out of Division II Francis Marion in South Carolina.

"It was pretty much between me and him," Walters said of Schrader, who as of Monday was on the disabled list with high Class A Frederick after recording two saves with Delmarva.

But Walters, 24, signed as a non-drafted free agent by the Orioles in 2009, got the closer’s job and is now approaching the single-season saves record for the Shorebirds.

In games through Sunday he had 30 saves for Delmarva, a low Class A South Atlantic League team. The record of 33 was set by Derek Brown in 1998.

A team's closer normally enters the game in the ninth inning with a lead of one or two runs and is responsible for nailing down the last three outs to end the game.

Walters was an All-Star this year and pitched in his home park in the South Atlantic League exhibition June 21. Big-time prospects who played in that game included Manny Machado, a shortstop in the Orioles' farm system now with Frederick, and Bryce Harper, an outfielder in the Washington system who was the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2010.

Walters got his 30th save on Sunday by pitching a perfect ninth inning in a 6-5 win against the host West Virginia Power in Charleston.

“The higher round guys may get the chance to save (games) in front of me,” Walters said. “I worked hard. I guess they tried a couple of guys and I guess for me, having experience, that helped the decision."

Does he feel he has something to prove? “I feel like David always felt that way,” said Art Inabinet, his coach at Francis Marion. “He has always had that underdog mentality a little bit. I am not surprised he is doing as well as he is.”

Walters was 1-5 with an ERA of 3.69 in his first 43 outings this season for Delmarva. He has a good chance to set the record since regular-season play ends Sept. 5, though there is always a chance Walters could get promoted to Frederick before the end of the season.

“Every pitcher has to prove themselves,” said Troy Mattes, the pitching coach for Walters this season at Delmarva. “Money (for high picks) is going to get you a few more opportunities but at the same time it is about how you perform. He has done a great job this year.”

Walters had three saves in nine appearances last year for Aberdeen and then had four saves in 22 outings for the Shorebirds.

Would the team save record mean a lot to him? “Oh yes, definitely. I want to go out there and get in the ninth inning as much as I can,” he said. “To have 20-plus saves in the minor leagues is a great accomplishment. It will help me better my record and keep playing baseball as long as I can.”

“He has done a great job of going after hitters,” Mattes said. “He throws the ball down in the zone, whether it is the sinker or slider. He is a bulldog" whose sinking fastball has been clocked in the low 90s.

Walters, a right-hander, was used as a both a starter and reliever while at Francis Marion. He said he is willing to do whatever it takes to move up the minor league ladder of the Orioles.

The next stop in Baltimore farm system is high Class A Frederick of the Carolina League and after that the next affiliate is Class AA Bowie of the Eastern League.

This off-season Walters plans to work out at Francis Marion, where he also has a job at a food establishment. "I don't make enough money (as a player) not to work," said Walters, who grew up in Marriottsville.

Perhaps one day that may change if he can make it to Camden Yards. The present-day Orioles are not doing so well, but with prospects such as Walters maybe the future is brighter.