P.J. Walters

[William Malone]

Phillip DeWayne Walters Jr. was born on March 12, 1985 in Dothan, Alabama.

The St. Louis Cardinals selected him in round 11 of the 2006 MLB Draft out of the University of South Alabama. He made his Major League debut for them in 2009, making four starts and 15 relief appearances over parts of three seasons with the Cardinals. Walters was part of a seven player trade between the Cardinals and Toronto Blue Jays at the 2011 deadline.

Toronto removed Walters from their 40-man roster in the off-season. He elected free agency after clearing waivers, and signed a minor league deal with the Minnesota Twins.

Walters was the Opening Day starter for the Rochester Red Wings (AAA) in 2012. Minnesota called him up about a month and a half into the season. He allowed two runs over six innings in his Twins debut on May 12th, but suffered the loss due to lack of run support against his old Blue Jays squad. Walters picked up a win in his next start on May 17th, allowing three runs across 6.1 innings against the eventual American League champion Detroit Tigers.

He struck out eight in a complete game win against the Chicago White Sox on May 22nd, allowing only five hits and two runs. This was followed up with another impressive showing against Detroit on May 27th. The calendar flipped to June, and Walters began to unravel a bit. This included a start against the Philadelphia Phillies on June 13th where he allowed four runs and was removed before getting a single batter out. Minnesota eventually optioned him back to Triple-A. Walters finished the year 2-5 with a 5.69 ERA in 12 big league starts.

Minnesota brought him back in 2013. Walters made eight starts, going 2-5 with a 5.95 ERA. He once again had a start where he failed to get out of the first innings, which came on June 22nd against the Cleveland Indians.

The Twins were his final Major League stop, but Walters continued to pitch professionally until 2015. This included several minor league deals, and various stints in independent leagues.

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