Position: RHP
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 195 lbs
Bats/Throws: R/R
Born: 01/17/2001
College: Yale University
How Acquired: Draft 9th Round, 260th Overall, 2022
Bonus: $147,500
40-man Roster: No
Rule 5 Eligible: 2025
Minor League Free Agency: 2028
Options Left: 3
Overview
Walsh was one of the Pirates’ many overdrafts on day two of the 2022 draft. Baseball America ranked him 498th in the draft pool, while MLB.com did not have him in the top 250. At Yale, Walsh worked only seven innings before his junior season, when he made 11 starts. He fanned 80 in 65 innings, but otherwise struggled. He walked 31 and hit an alarming 24, posting an ERA of 5.68. Walsh throws his fastball 92-93 mph and has a sweeping slider, both with high spin rates that provide the primary source of interest in him. In the Cape Cod League in summer 2022, Walsh pitched strictly in relief and showed some improvement while striking out 23 in 11.1 IP. He signed for $18,700 under the slot value of $166,200.
2022-23
After signing, Walsh threw one inning in the FCL, then got into three games at Bradenton. He lasted only two and a third innings total because he couldn’t throw strikes. In 2023, he opened in the Bradenton bullpen. He was much more effective, allowing just eight hits and three walks over 9.1 IP, with 11 strikeouts. In mid-May, though, Walsh went on the injured list and did not return.
2024
Walsh split 2024 between Bradenton and Greensboro, two-thirds of it with the former. The FSL posed no challenge, as Walsh put up a 0.98 ERA and 0.69 WHIP. In ten games with Greensboro, Walsh had a 1.38 ERA, although that’s a little misleading because two-thirds of the runs he allowed were unearned. His walk and K rates were very different between the two levels. He had a 1.3 BB/9 and 9.1 K/9 at Bradenton, but 4.8 and 6.9, respectively, at Greensboro.
Stats
Transactions
July 18, 2022: Drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 9th round, 260th overall pick; signed on July 24.