Minor League Prospect Notes: Keenyn Walker, James Baldwin III
**Chicago White Sox outfield prospect Keenyn Walker went 3-for-5 yesterday for the Low-A Kannapolis Intimidators in the Sally League. He's been quite hot lately, hitting .366/.458/.488 with seven steals in his last 10 games. On the season, he's hitting .274/.385/.374 with 41 walks and 75 strikeouts in 219 at-bats, with 36 steals in 44 attempts.
Drafted in the supplemental first round last year out of Central Arizona Junior College, Walker is a switch-hitter with top shelf speed (at least 70 on the 20-80 scale), premium athleticism, and a strong throwing arm. He has some power potential as well, although he hasn't tapped into that yet. Main worry here is contact: he fans more than once per game, but he'll take a walk too.
**Los Angeles Dodgers outfield prospect James Baldwin III has similar tools to Walker: excellent speed, strong throwing arm, some power potential, good glove. A fourth round pick in 2010 from high school in Southern Pines, North Carolina, Baldwin has swiped 30 bases in 33 attempts for the Low-A Great Lakes Loons in the Midwest League, but his hitting is even less refined than Walker's: he's hitting just .215/.285/.316 overall, with 24 walks but an ugly 97 strikeouts in 256 at-bats. He is very raw, especially for a guy with major league bloodlines (his father is former major league pitcher James Baldwin), and Midwest League observers note significant difficulties with his swing mechanics as well as pitch recognition.
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