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Pirates Sign Speedy Non-Drafted Free Agent Shortstop

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The Pittsburgh Pirates signed their third non-drafted free agent this week, inking a deal with shortstop Andrew Walker from Southwestern Christian University. He hit .317 this year in 61 games, with 22 walks, 13 doubles, two homers and 42 steals in 47 attempts. Walker started 52 games last year and hit .333, going 17-for-18 in steals. Before that, he spent two seasons at Northwestern State, where he hit .333 as a freshman in a limited role, and followed that up with a .290 average as a sophomore.

The 22-year-old Walker hit .345/.371/.429 in 27 games for the Bethany Bulls of the Jayhawk League (Summer Collegiate) over the off-season.

He has a strong arm and has pitched on occasion. If you have four minutes, here is a highlight video from his 2016 season.

John Dreker
John Dreker
John started working at Pirates Prospects in 2009, but his connection to the Pittsburgh Pirates started exactly 100 years earlier when Dots Miller debuted for the 1909 World Series champions. John was born in Kearny, NJ, two blocks from the house where Dots Miller grew up. From that hometown hero connection came a love of Pirates history, as well as the sport of baseball. When he didn't make it as a lefty pitcher with an 80+ MPH fastball and a slider that needed work, John turned to covering the game, eventually focusing in on the prospects side, where his interest was pushed by the big league team being below .500 for so long. John has covered the minors in some form since the 2002 season, and leads the draft and international coverage on Pirates Prospects. He writes daily on Pittsburgh Baseball History, when he's not covering the entire system daily throughout the entire year on Pirates Prospects.

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