Janek’s performance this spring has boosted his draft stock significantly.
The Atlanta Braves have not been shy on grabbing catchers in recent years. From using the 9th overall pick on Shea Langeliers five seasons ago, swapping homegrown talent William Contreras for a chance to lock down Sean Murphy long term, or more recently spending a third round pick on Drake Baldwin, Atlanta has valued catchers with premier power under Alex Anthopoulos. Over in Texas the Sam Houston State Bearkats have been led by such a powerful backstop in Walker Janek, and in Baseball America’s Mock Draft 2.0 they projected the Braves to scoop up Janek with the 24th overall pick.
Janek’s draft rankings don’t necessarily reflect such a high pick in the draft, as he sits at 48 on MLB pipeline and 52nd on Baseball America’s own big board, but as our old pal Carlos Collazo notes he has had a big spring and seems to be trending upwards in the eyes of evaluators. Janek’s physical toolset stands out among catchers, as a righty bat that can produce power and bat speed to go along with a plus arm and good athleticism behind the plate. Janek has produced a 1.212 OPS for the Bearkats this season, and is on pace to break set his career-high in home runs with so far 12 in 40 games. Janek also produced with a wood bat last summer, hitting five home runs and putting up an .838 OPS in 30 Cape Cod League appearances. Janek’s biggest question from evaluators is how his approach will translate to the next level, as he tends to be an aggressive hitter and can be beat with breaking balls.