Prior to Judge Memorial's doubleheader against Uintah last Thursday, coach Jeff Myaer was on the phone at 5 a.m. with a professional scout.
It's a regular occurrence this season for Myaer to be talking to scouts from Major League Baseball teams. Scouts from six MLB clubs braved a brisk afternoon, bundled up like they were watching the teams compete in the Arctic when the Bulldogs faced Uintah. For them, it's been necessary to watch games in winterlike conditions and blow up Myaer's cell phone because of one reason.
The attraction is centerfielder Keenyn Walker.
No other player in the Class of 2009 has garnered as much attention from pro scouts as Walker has so far this season, and for good reason. He is a possibly the state's best pure athlete, and he's versatile as well. He's a legitimate three-tool prospect with his fielding, arm strength and running speed.
There's plenty of pressure on Walker in each of his games because of the people watching. But he said he isn't feeling it, and instead just enjoying it.
"I'll see them (the scouts) when they're there and it just kind of makes me want to up my game – show them what I got and that I can hit and play in the field," Walker said. "It's fun, though. Just to know that a pro scout is there watching is fun. It gets your adrenaline up."
Walker has hardly disappointed when scouts have come to see him play this season. He entered the Uintah doubleheader batting .610 with seven doubles. He misjudged a fly ball — Myaer said it was the first time he's seen it happen to Walker since the senior has been at Judge — in the team's loss to the Utes last week. Hitting something playable, however, anywhere near Walker has otherwise been considered a guaranteed out.
Walker batted .460 as a junior, stole 18 bases and was a first-team all-state pick. He's also a two-time first-team all-state pick in football. He was named to the first team as a junior when he had 11 interceptions at cornerback. As a senior, Walker earned the honor as a specialist. He played a Deion Sanders-type of role at corner, shutting down an entire side of the field as a senior. Walker estimates he had six passes thrown on him last season, and he intercepted three of them.
"He's the best athlete that I've ever coached," Myaer said. "He could have been an all-state basketball player, too. He can dunk and he can shoot. He's just an athlete. If I had two Keenyns, I could have two outfielders and I'd be the same as most teams with three, and probably even better."
Walker's speed forces Myaer to have talks with umpires he rarely sees before they work Judge's games.
"I tell them to be ready when he's up, and don't be ready to call him out," Myaer said. "I say don't make up your mind up before he gets there. Keenyn gets robbed of base hits two or three times a year. He's that quick."
Although Walker's value to Judge is unmistakable as a centerfielder and lead-off hitter (his on-base percentage is around .800), he's also one of the 3A's top pitchers. His best outing of the season so far was a four-hitter against 4A's Snow Canyon where he tossed a four-hitter and recorded 14 strikeouts.
"The biggest lift he's given us is on the hill," Myaer said. "He's hitting that first strike, getting ahead in the count. His pitch count has been low, and he's been real effective on the mound."
Walker has signed to play baseball at Central Arizona, but his future is far from decided. He'll get selected in the Major League Baseball draft, which will be held on June 9-10. Depending on when he's picked and how much money he is offered, Walker could begin playing in the minors this summer.
Walker is also considering resuming playing football if it can be worked out after his time at Central Arizona. He'd like to be a two-sport collegiate star.
There's plenty of time for Walker to figure out what he's going to do in the future.
For now, he's hoping to lead Judge to a second straight state baseball championship and continue to improve as a player. After football season ended, Walker, a switch-hitter, said he took 500 cuts almost every day from each side of the plate.
The dedication has paid off, and Walker has matured and become the all-around player he's always strived to be.
"I work hard," Walker said. "Everyone thinks I really don't work hard in the weight room, but I think I do. I push myself to where I can get better. I'm working hard to achieve what I want in life."
E-mail: aaragon@desnews.com