HCBL Alum Josh Walker Makes MLB Debut with the Mets
Photo Credit: Christine Herren/Artist Lake Media
On Tuesday Night at Citi Field, Josh Walker took the mound for the New York Mets against the Tampa Bay Rays in the seventh inning. Walker would pitch a scoreless inning for the Amazin’s working around a pair of two-out walks by getting Manuel Margot to fly out to Brandon Nimmo.
With his debut, Walker becomes the 33rd alum of the Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League to play in the Major Leagues and is the first to accomplish that in a Mets uniform.
Walker, an alum of the University of New Haven Chargers pitched in the Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League for the Montauk Mustangs during the 2016 season. The native of Otisville, NY would be a key player on Montauk’s relief staff making 13 appearances that year with a record of 2-0 and an ERA of 2.38 in 22.2 innings pitched. Walker had 19 strikeouts for the Mustangs while walking just nine batters.
Montauk would make it all the way to the HCBL Championship Series in the 2016 season falling short to the Westhampton Aviators in three games. Walker would make four appearances on the mound for the Mustangs during the 2016 postseason.
The following year in 2017, Walker would be selected in the 37th Round of the MLB Draft by the Mets. During the 2021 season combining time with High A-Brooklyn, AA-Binghamton, and AAA-Syracuse, Walker had a 9-4 record with an ERA of 3.73 in 115.2 innings pitched.
In the 2022 season, Walker pitched for the Peoria Javelinas in the Arizona Fall League where he made eight appearances on the mound with a record of 1-0 and a 2.89 ERA. Walker would end up being selected to the National League All-Star roster for the AFL’s Fall Stars Game.
Prior to joining the Mets in Queens on Tuesday, Walker made nine relief appearances in the 2023 season for AAA-Syracuse with a 1-0 record and 18 strikeouts in 13.1 innings pitched.
