Prospect Walker delivers big homer

Dansby Swanson led off the first inning Thursday with his first home run of spring training, a line drive to left-center off Cardinals veteran Adam Wainwright. But nothing the rookie phenom Swanson does is much of a surprise anymore.

What opened more eyes came four batters later, when Adam Walker hit a tworun, two-out home run to straightaway center off Wainwright, the second home run in 17-hour span for the towering 25-year-old outfielder whose prodigious power has been on display in games and especially in batting practice.

“Stupid power,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said, that being part of the baseball vernacular for high praise. “He was hitting balls over the damn office buildings out there during BP.”

Walker, after hitting a couple of balls onto and over the metal roof atop a two-story Marlins headquarters building beyond left field at Roger Dean Stadium during pregame batting practice, took that into the game when he took Wainwright deep on the first pitch he saw to give the Braves a 3-0 lead. This after homering Wednesday night against the Yankees in Tampa.

It’s a conspicuous start to camp for a player whose huge power — 25 or more homers in each of his four full minor-league seasons with the Twins — has been matched by huge strikeout totals. That’s why he was claimed off waivers by three teams this winter, the Braves being the third and the team that adroitly slipped him through waivers without anyone claiming him.

“It didn’t look like he even hit that ball good, and it just takes off,” Snitker said of the homer off Wainwright. “He’s got power. We knew that coming in. That’s why you take a crack at a guy like that because you don’t see power like that, so you hope maybe the light goes off and he gets it going with you. Because if they do, with a tool like that, you have something.”