'He misses bats': Andrew Walters makes Guardians bullpen, major leagues 1 year after draft

CLEVELAND — He possess a ton of velocity on the mound. And he's now sped through the minor leagues.

Andrew Walters has raced to the majors, and the Guardians now have another flame-thrower in the bullpen.

Walters, who was a second-round pick only last year and is ranked as the No. 22 prospect in the system, has already been called up to the majors. He was promoted before Thursday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays to take the place of Alex Cobb , who is hitting the injured list with a blister.

Walters' fastball regularly sits in the high 90s and can touch 100, and it has some riding action. Walters used that heater to become a dominant closer with the University of Miami, where he not only complied more saves (26) than runs allowed (16), but also developed a taste for high-intensity innings.

The Guardians drafted Walters with the idea of keeping him in the bullpen, potentially as multi-inning option, but certainly as someone who can rely on that fastball as much as possible. That was part of Walters' secret to skyrocketing through the minor leagues and now to the majors in his first full season of pro ball.

"The relief pitcher aspect was probably in play there for me. It's kind of my style, so I took that and ran with it," Walters said. "Being in that role allowed me to move pretty quickly."

But few pitchers can rely on one pitch for long. The true element that helped Walters breeze up the ladder was the development of a slider, along with a work-in-progress splitter. Walters will often still pound the strike zone with that fastball, but he needed something to keep hitters a little honest.

With it, Walters skipped the normal three- to four-year timeline for prospects making the big leagues.

"I took what I had and then I just submersed myself in the staff and the coaches and learned from them any chance that I could," Walters said. "I would say I learned more information in six months than I have in a while. I think that just kind of compiled all together and took off."

Andrew Walters could bolster Guardians' MLB-best bullpen

Cobb will be out of the rotation for at least the next 10 days while he waits for the blister on his middle finger to heal enough that he can take the mound again. For at least that time, the Guardians have Walters as an extra pitcher available in the bullpen who they already trust to handle some high-intensity situations.

"He misses bats, and [he's] low pulse, low heartbeat," said manager Stephen Vogt, referencing that Walters can handle himself in high-pressure appearances dating back to his days as Miami's closer. "I think he's got the potential to be a leverage arm for us, and he's done well against righties and lefties. He's going to be a part of this bullpen that's been special all year, and he's going to play a role in a perfect world."

In fact, the whirlwind stress of having to quickly pack everything up and get to Cleveland might have gotten Walters' heart-rate going more than any opposing hitter might.

"It was kind of nerve wracking a little bit, got a little stressed out," Walters said. "You've got to find your way around and pack up all your stuff and get out of there. But we figured it out."

Walters made his major league debut in Thursday's loss, pitching the ninth inning. He allowed one unearned run, largely due to a pitch clock violation that led to a walk and, later, a throwing error by catcher Bo Naylor on a steal attempt that put Jose Siri on third, opening the door for a sacrifice fly.

Veteran Cleveland Guardians starter Alex Cobb placed on IL with blister

For Cobb, it's another frustrating development in what has been an injury-riddled season. He didn't pitch in a major league game until July after offseason hip surgery, a shoulder issue and a blister, and then hit the injured list due to a fractured nail.

He then nearly pitched a perfect game , but he's now headed right back to the IL with a second blister issue, which has been a somewhat common occurrence during his career. He should only miss a couple of starts, though, and the Guardians' main focus will be on getting Cobb ready for a potential start in the playoffs.

The blister became a real issue the day after that outing against the Pirates.

"There's no one more frustrated about this than Alex," Vogt said. "He and the medical staff are doing everything they can to get it better, but it just needs to heal."

Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis1@gannett.com. Read more about the Guardians at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/cleveland-guardians. Follow him on Threads at @ByRyanLewis .

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: 'He misses bats': Andrew Walters makes Guardians bullpen, major leagues 1 year after draft