“He hit a ball to right-center over a tree here,” Mientkiewicz said. ![]() His towering home runs show he made the right decision. His son knew his future was in baseball, not football. His father, Adam, played two games at running back as a replacement player for the Vikings during the 1987 NFL strike season. He played quarterback at his Milwaukee area high school and drew interest from Division II schools. Walker, a left fielder, is chiseled at 6-4 and 225 pounds. “If I get a pitch up in the zone and I get the barrel to it, good stuff usually happens,” he said. “The more he makes the guy elevate the ball,” Mientkiewicz said, “the more balls fly over the fence.” Coaches don’t even mind if Walker takes a third strike slightly below his knees. Walker struggles with pitches at his knees, so either he or Allen buys a steak dinner every few weeks depending on Walker’s ability to avoid swinging at low pitches. Mientkiewicz credits hitting coach Chad Allen for that, and a running bet Allen made with Walker. ![]() He’s also showing better discipline at the plate. He leads the league in RBI (46) and is second in slugging percentage (.573). Mientkiewicz admits he was “worried” about Walker facing Class AA pitching initially because of the way he looked striking out last season. “He’s my most improved hitter in the lineup.” “He’s striking out the same as he did last year but they look so much better, if that’s possible,” Mientkiewicz said. He also hit 52 home runs with 203 RBI combined in those two seasons. Walker struck out 115 times in Cedar Rapids in 2013 and 156 times at Fort Myers last season. Too often he swings and misses, especially on offspeed pitches, a puzzle he will need to solve to keep advancing up the organizational ladder. This was Duehrs second tally in seven outings this season - hes filled in on the fourth line with Brett Ritchie (wrist) out and Adam Ruzicka in a slump. “I got that one pretty good,” Walker said. Several longtime followers of the Lookouts called it one of the longest home runs ever hit at AT&T Field. Walker usually sends it into orbit, like his recent mammoth blast against Biloxi. “I don’t think I’ve played with anybody that has more than him. “It’s epic,” manager Doug Mientkiewicz said. Walker has even more raw power, according to the Lookouts staff. Lookouts third baseman Miguel Sano is regarded as one of the top power-hitting prospects in all of baseball. ![]() He leads the Southern League in home runs (15) and strikeouts (77). Walker is one of the most intriguing prospects in the Twins farm system. I’m trying to cut that down and have better at-bats.” “It’s always nice when you can hit a bomb,” he said. – Adam Brett Walker II struck out twice and hit a home run a country mile in a recent minor league game.
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