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Right-handed pitcher Kevin Walter recently made his Class A debut after a considerable wait, having dealt with a lengthy recovery from Tommy John Surgery.  A Phillies' 20th round draft selection out of Legacy High School in Colorado, back in 2010, Walter had been limited to very minimal game action over the three years after signing his first pro contract until he was promoted to Lakewood from extended spring training a couple weeks back. In two starts since joining the BlueClaws the 21-year-old is 0-1 with a 4.00 ERA while striking out seven and walking five batters in nine innings pitched. I recently spoke with the six-foot-five 215-pounder about his recovery, his admiration for other players, his pitch repertoire and plenty more.  Read ahead for my full interview with Kevin. - What was your excitement level to finally get a call for a promotion an join the Class A BlueClaws roster? It's both excitement and relief.  It's kind of getting back into real base...

Mickey Morandini, Photo- Jay Floyd Last week I spoke with Class A Lakewood BlueClaws manager Mickey Morandini and he offered his thoughts on a few of his players, including shortstop prospect Roman Quinn and 17-year-old outfielder Carlos Tocci ... On switch-hitting Roman Quinn's turnaround this season, batting .303 with three HR and 12 RBI since April, when he sported a .202 average with two homers and six RBI- He's getting more comfortable, especially left-handed.  Seeing more pitches is the big thing for him.  He was a little bit too aggressive early in the counts, at times, swinging at some pitches up.  But, now he's starting to draw some walks.  The on base percentage, I challenged him...he was about .240, at one point, and I challenged him to get to .330, .340 in a month.  He got there in about three weeks.  He's up to about .340, so it's just him getting comfortable left-handed, getting the confidence back.  A lot of it has to do w...

With this week's promotion to the Lakewood BlueClaws from extended spring training, righty pitcher Kevin Walter made his Class A debut after long last, following considerable down time rehabbing from Tommy John Surgery.  The Phillies' 20th round draft selection out of Legacy High School in Colorado, in 2010, had pitched in just seven official pro games with the Phils' Gulf Coast League team over three years prior to his first start with Lakewood on Wednesday at FirstEnergy Park. Armed with a fastball that peaks in the low 90's, a change up that he controls very well and a solid curve ball that features nice movement, the 21-year-old Walter, who stands six-foot-five and weighs about 215 pounds, held the Delmarva Shorebirds (Orioles affiliate) to an earned run while striking out two and walking two over four innings on Wednesday. Check out the media player below for bullpen footage of Kevin as well as clips of his first two batters faced, Lucas Herbst and Roderi...