All-American closer Walters rejects MLB, will return to the Miami Hurricanes
Star closer Andrew Walters wanted “life-changing” money — $1.7 million to be exact — and when he didn’t get that from the 2022 MLB Draft, he decided to return to the Miami Hurricanes for what is guaranteed to be a special year for him in a family way.
His return is a huge bonus for the Hurricanes, who get back a consensus first-team All-American who saved an Atlantic Coast Conference-best 14 games last season, posting a 1.65 ERA and allowing opponents to bat just .116 against him.
Walters, a right-hander, turned down the Baltimore Orioles, who selected him in the 18th round during the July 17-19 MLB Draft.
“The Orioles drafted me out of nowhere,” Walters said. “No idea, no call, no nothing ...”
But Walters rejected more than just Baltimore. He said he got calls from numerous teams, starting in the late second round.
“I turned down lots of stuff from the beginning of the draft and all throughout the draft,” Walters said. “I put a big price tag [$1.7 million] on signing pro.”
Besides the money, Walters was motivated to return to Miami for several reasons, including playing with his brother, Brian; getting his degree in business technology, which should happen in May; and getting the Hurricanes back to the College World Series for the first time since 2016.
Brian Walters, a junior college transfer right-hander, is still growing from his listed size of 6-2, 170 pounds. He is now 6-3 and 190 pounds, according to Andrew, who is 6-4 and 220.
“Getting to play D-I baseball with your brother doesn’t happen all that often,” Andrew Walters said. “To get this chance with him is something I will never forget.”
The brothers haven’t played together since Palm Bay Bayside High School. Andrew was a senior, and Brian was a freshman.
Both were two-way players at the time.
“He would get hits, and I would drive him in,” Andrew Walters said. “But, as a team, we were bad (10-16).
“[However], our coach, Kevin McClain, taught me to be a pitcher. He taught me most of what I know, and I still call him to this day.”
After high school, Walters signed with a junior college, Eastern Florida State. After one year there, he signed with Miami.
“I wasn’t D-I ready out of high school,” Walters said. “I got some D-II offers, but I knew I wouldn’t be happy there.
“Back then, I would sit on my couch watching the College World Series, and I knew I wanted to be in Omaha, pitching. I’m a competitive guy.”
Walters said he didn’t necessarily want his brother to follow his cleat marks. But, as it turns out, Brian went to Eastern Florida State, just like his brother. And now Brian has chosen Miami, following Andrew again.
“I love that Brian is coming after me,” Walters said. “That drives him.”
Andrew Walters is driven by having an even better year than he did in the 2022 season, when he was dominant.
He reached 99 mph last year, repeatedly beating opponents up in the zone and continuing Miami’s tradition of elite closers.
Miami’s 2021 closer, Carson Palmquist, also saved 14 games that year. He became a starter in 2022, and, in July, he was the Colorado Rockies’ third-round pick.
Walters said he is not planning to ask Miami’s coaches to switch him to starter for 2023, but he would do it if it helps his team.
That’s the thing about Walters. Winning at Miami means something extra to him. It goes back to his uncle Matt Walters, a starting defensive tackle on the Hurricanes’ national championship team of 2001.
“Our family has been traveling down here [to Miami] for years on end,” said Andrew Walters whose father, Kyle, played college basketball at Florida Tech; and whose mother, Angie, played softball, also at Florida Tech.
“All my little cousins look up to me because I play D-I baseball.”
Now, thanks to the financial value he placed on playing college baseball alongside his brother, Andrew Walters will get one more chance to win a national championship — just like his uncle Matt.