Walker takes control of Minor League home run lead
Twins No. 13 prospect hits his 18th of the season for the Lookouts
The Minor League home run race has been a seesaw battle for most of the season. Astros No. 15 prospect Preston Tucker got out to a quick start -- 10 home runs in 25 games -- but got called up to the big leagues, leaving the top spot available for another hot slugger.
Twins No. 13 prospect Adam Brett Walker stepped into the spotlight with a steady stream of homers and has since been joined by Astros No. 12 prospect A.J. Reed. Reed clobbered his 17th homer of the season Wednesday night, tying Walker as the Minor League leader.
But Walker broke that tie with his 18th in quick fashion Thursday night, hitting a two-out, two-run homer in the third inning of Double-A Chattanooga's game against Jacksonville.
With No. 1 overall prospect Byron Buxton up in the bigs now, Chattanooga has been compensating at the plate with a mix of Walker, Twins No. 2 prospect Miguel Sano, No. 14 Stuart Turner, No. 15 Max Kepler and No. 16 Travis Harrison.
As evidenced by his power surge, Walker has been the most impressive of the bunch this season, hitting .268/.318/.574 with 55 RBIs entering Wednesday's contest.