WEYMOUTH, Mass. (May 18, 2023) -- Former Worcester Bravehearts left-handed pitcher Josh Walker became the 14th Futures League alumnus to reach Major League Baseball and the second in as many weeks when he debuted for the New York Mets on Tuesday night.
Walker, whose hometown of Otisville, N.Y., is less than 90 miles from Citi Field in Queens, posted a scoreless and hitless inning against the Tampa Bay Rays in his debut.
The 28-year-old took the mound on the same day he was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse, making him the third Met to make his MLB debut this season. Walker had a 0.68 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 13.1 innings this season in Syracuse. He is 17-9 with a 4.06 ERA in his 72-game minor league career in the Mets organization.
Walker was the Mets’ 37th-round draft pick in 2017 out of the University of New Haven, where he spent two seasons after beginning his career at the University of South Florida. His time with the Bravehearts -- a two-inning relief stint with four strikeouts in the opening game of the 2017 season -- preceded him being drafted by and signing with the Mets.
Walker is the second Worcester Braveheart among the league’s crop of big league alumni, as well as the first product who drafted out of a Division 2 or 3 program in New England. Former Northeastern University pitcher Aaron Civale, who was a member of Worcester’s inaugural, championship-winning team in 2014, has started games for the Cleveland Guardians since 2019 and made his first career Postseason appearance last season.
After a league-record six Futures League products climbed to the MLB level in 2022, Walker joins former Boston College and Wachusett Dirt Dawgs infielder Jake Alu as the first two to do so this season. Alu received his first playing time with the Washington Nationals on May 9 and has since returned to the major league roster.
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