P2Daily: Deion Walker Discusses His Cup of Coffee in Spring Training

There are many key moments in a young man’s life: his first kiss, first date, first car, etc. For a baseball player, the former remains true, but there’s nothing like getting a taste of major league action, even if it’s in a Spring Training game.

Towards the end of the Pirates’ spring training, we saw several Complex League guys get the call up for defensive substitutions and even get an at-bat or two. For Pirates’ prospect Deion Walker, this meant everything to him.

“There are so many ways I can describe getting that chance, euphoric, unreal, amazing,” said Walker. “The perfect way to describe it is it felt like the grand stage.”

Getting a chance to be with the guys you see on television and getting to pick their brains is probably the most important thing a young man like Walker could do.

“When I talked to the guys that have been in the majors before, they tell me that it’s worth every second, every moment, every breath,” said Walker. “You see these guys on the biggest stage there is, and you see that they have no worries; they’re playing a fun game out there. For me, it was a taste of what I’ve been working for, and it makes me want it even more!”

Walker struck out in his only plate appearance that game, though he made a tremendous play in the outfield, throwing a runner out at the plate. He even did the small things right, cutting the ball off, taking nice routes; he’s a long way away from the majors, but moments like this last forever in a young man’s head.