Is anyone else as excited as I am about the Twins 3rd-round-pick last June? I am talking about the 97th overall selection named Adam Walker. This guy barely made the top 100 players drafted in 2012, but his initial return showed immense power promise. So much so, that I wanted to upset some people (and bring joy to others) by comparing him favorably to Giancarlo Stanton. Dang right people.

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Even for a casual baseball fan, Stanton is a recognizable figure. He stands 6'5 at a healthy weight and hits baseballs several city blocks at a time. Walker has him matched in height and could someday match Giancarlo in hitting power as well. Adam did not waste his time at Jacksonville in the weight room. But he is two years younger than Stanton at 21, and can be projected to get even stronger. He signed quickly with the Twins and flexed his muscle with 14 HR's in 58 games of Rookie ball.

Yes, as a 21-yr-old, Stanton hit 34 bombs for the Marlins. So we cannot expect Walker to be the type of special talent that Stanton was and is. But we do have a special rightfielder in Walker. This is a player that will combine elite power with great speed at his spot in the lineup. He merely stole four bases last summer, but he also hit four triples. So, one can see how his speed will show up in his stat line.

Adam may never match the production of the superstar that is Giancarlo Stanton. But, if Walker progresses from his pro-debut season by getting his strikeouts under control....he could be a 30 HR guy in a full season. That would get him moving towards Minnesota in a hurry!

However, his strikeouts at the plate were definitely out-of-control last summer. So there is the chance that Walker will not make the necessary adjustments to keep hitting for power at the low-A level. But I want to believe in this guy! It sounds like he will get a fair shot alongside Max Kepler in Cedar Rapids next spring.

Can Walker hit enough bombs to cover up his unsightly strikeout totals and meager batting average? Hope and projections are what we have.

Check out Adam's long levers at work here:

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He sounds pretty impressive. I can't wait until 2018 when he gets a September call up to show everyone how good he has become.

Haha! Thank you Darin. Walker will only be 26-27 around that time.

For Walker, it will be (primarily) all about the strikeouts. If he can make contact, he can hit for a ton of power and move quickly. If not, he'll struggle and won't get past AA.

Yes Seth, I must agree. His batting average isn't going to go up from the Appy to Midwest League.

I like commenting on my ETown boys. This kid hit .300+ as a Freshmen in college and .400+ as a sophomore in college. He cut his K's down during his final year in college significantly. He led all NCAA college hitters in BA for Friday night games (usually the night you compete against other teams Ace pitcher) during his final season. My point is this kid seems to make corrections in his game every season at various levels. He always states in interviews what his preseason goals are, and he seems to make those stated adjustments throughout the season. Either way this kid is a winnerand I love how he works on his game.

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This Walker kid has won a championship in each of his last 3 summer leagues - Great Lakes Summer Collegieate League (teams 1st ever) / Cape Cod League (teams 1st in 20+ years) / Appy League (key 9th inning HR). I agree about K's but the kid is a run producer at every level and that is the bottom line. Oh yeah - and his teams generally win

Thank you lightfoot!! I share your optimism about Walker. The ELZ team last year was absolutely loaded. Cedar Rapids should be equally powerful this summer. You got Walker bringing home another trophy after 2013??

I'm just saying he was 3 for 3 - Those kids at ETown seemed to get along so well together - Maybe he / "They" can do it again. As you said they were very good last year.

Yes and now I have to post this video of Walker in E town.

One thing that should probably be an any profile is age. Walker is 21, and we haven't seen him above rookie league. Expectations need to be tempered.

Yeah he isn't going to be considered for Minnesota if he doesn't produce at Cedar Rapids

Hey - he was only 20 in Appy and will be 21 for all of A ball. He was a young college kid. If he can keep up his production from league to league - He will be fine. As a 20 year old he was Top 5 in HRs / RBIs / Runs / TBs / SLG % (7th) / & Triples. He does need to drop K %, but I will take other category rankings every year. Between Sano; Vargas; DJ Hicks & Walker - The Twins are getting big and powerful quickly.

Dont forget Harrison and Kepler. They're big, and their power will show up once they reach their mid-20's. Could be a damm good line-up by 2016-2017

One thing that should probably be an any profile is age. Walker is 21, and we haven't seen him above rookie league. Expectations need to be tempered.

Yes John, one paragraph of my blog entry was dedicated to that very point you tried to make.

Hey! This article compares Walker to Stanton....and here is a quote from MLB.com's Twins top-20 list about Walker: " His body type and power potential remind some of Giancarlo Stanton, a fellow former second-rounder, and the Twins wouldn't complain if that's what Walker becomes"......! Only problem is that Walker was a 3rd round pick, not 2nd