Published: July 16, 2008 12:16 pm            

One Confident ’Cat

Baseball

Josh Walter never lost confidence — he had his opportunities though.

It could have started with his late-season unraveling in the Texas State bullpen. Usually a solid closer, Walter was thrown into high-pressure situations and struggled. He watched the last pitch of his collegiate career mashed 410 feet for a game-winning home run, knocking the Bobcats out of the Southland Conference tournament.

Then again, it could have been when he sat in front of his computer during the First-Year Player Draft. His named never flashed and his phone never was called.

“I figured I was gong to get picked up by somebody,” Walter said. “They wouldn’t know if they needed anyone until the end of June. So, I needed to stay confident and be ready when the opportunity happened.”

He attended post-draft camps for several teams, hoping one would take a chance on him. Soon enough, the Los Angeles Dodgers liked what they saw and signed him. He was immediately optioned to Ogden, Utah, to play short-season A-ball.

Ogden is situated at the base of the Rocky Mountains. The Raptors, a member of the Pioneer Baseball League, routinely play in front of 5,000 fans.

“It’s gorgeous,” Walter said of the view. “We have the best view in all of professional baseball. It’s such a huge difference playing in front of 5,000 fans. You need to keep your nerves in line.”

In his first appearance, Walter pitched one scoreless inning, striking out two. His confidence, as well as Mike Brumley’s, his manager, grew in his abilities.

One outing later, Walter was put in to escape a jam. He retired the batters in order and returned to the dugout. Normally accustomed to pitching an inning at a time, he took a seat at the end of the bench.

The next inning, Brumley approached him. Walter couldn’t believe his ears.

“The coach only told me I would go in one inning,” Walter said. “I gave up one hit, struck out the last guy and the coach sent me out the next inning. I go 1-2-3, of course I’m real pumped and the coach sends me out there again.”

His second pitch to the second batter of the following inning was crushed for a home run.

He hasn’t been able to recreate the magic of the first appearance thus far. Walter has pitched 5 2/3 innings, giving up seven runs on 10 hits, three of which were home runs. His earned-run average is 11.12.

“It’s the game of baseball,” Walter said. “You never know what’s going to happen. One day you have your stuff, the next day you don’t. The game of baseball is built for failure, so you need to accept it.”

Walter’s hard-throwing style makes him succeptible to giving up home runs. In order to last in the minors, he needs to gain confidence in a pitch other than his fastball.

He’s not one to lose confidence and adversity only makes a human stronger. Walter knows he can figure it out, better yet, he has to.

“I’ve always loved to work hard and I’m going to try to outwork everyone else on the field to get to the next level,” Walter said.

        

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