Standing on the mound on July 10 at Southwest University Park

in El Paso, Texas at one of Minor League Baseball’s biggest

showcases with a national television audience, Connor Walsh
finally knew that he belonged.

Walsh was representing the Charlotte Knights and the International

League against the Pacific Coast League at the annual Triple-A
All-Star Game.

After an initial self-doubt, clarity kicked in for the right-handed relief

pitcher from Berwyn, Pennsylvania.

It’s a long way from where he was at the same point in the 2018
season, when he was sent down from Double-A Birmingham to
High-A Winston-Salem. At that point, he knew how to fix his game,
and it was more than just his ability on the mound.

“At that point my perspective on the game was different. I was

playing the ‘Why me?’ card a lot. I’d give up a hit on a ball that
would start foul and the wind would blow fair for a home run and
I’d say, ‘Why me?’ I was never looking at where my pitches were. I
was always the victim,” Walsh said. “The moment you think you’re
the victim you spend less time thinking about what you can do to
get out of it. I was throwing a pity party and I put myself where I
was.”

(continued on page 31)

28 29
 KNIGHTS SPOTLIGHT

At that point, Walsh turned his season around. With Birmingham, he posted
a 10.67 ERA (34 ER/28.2 IP) over 19 games to start the season. In the
second half with Winston-Salem, he went 1-1 with a 3.38 ERA (10 ER/26.2
IP) as the Dash reached the Carolina League playoffs.

Once the season was over, Walsh put his priorities in order to figure out how
to succeed in 2019.

“In the offseason, I created a foundation of confidence that, no matter what

was happening, I always had something in the back of my head telling me
its going to be ok,” he said. “I’m not just a baseball player. I’m a son, I’m a
brother, I’m an uncle. I’m all of these things and I’m letting one aspect of my
life, my job, affect how I am with everything else I want to be in life. I want to
be the best at those things and if I can do all those things really well, then it
takes the pressure off being a baseball player.”

With that new foundation, Walsh returned to Birmingham and earned a

promotion to Charlotte on April 30. But after three appearances with the
Knights, he was sent back to the Barons less than a week later. Even then,
Walsh wasn’t deterred.

“That’s something that I can’t control,” he said of the roster move. “I

understand the business aspect of it. It’s not personal, it’s personnel. I just
went back and controlled what I could, which was each pitch.”

Less than three weeks later, Walsh was back in Charlotte and has been
one of the Knights’ most consistent relievers ever since. His numbers have
been especially good at BB&T
Ballpark, a known hitters park
in a season where home runs
are up at the Triple-A level.
The 26-year-old attributes the
success to the energy from the
home fans.

“The moment I get out on the

mound and there are cheers
and the stands are packed,
that fires me up,” he said. “That
sometimes gives me that extra
bit of adrenaline to help me get
through the ball or completely
help my focus to each pitch
at a time. To see the fans here
screaming, it’s awesome.”

That strong first half earned him

a meeting with Knights manager
(continued on page 35)

31
CHARLOTTEKNIGHTS.COM KNIGHTS SPOTLIGHT

Mark Grudzielanek, who shared the news that Walsh wasn’t expecting.

“He called me into his office, told me he had some good news for me and that
I was going to be an All-Star,” Walsh said of the meeting with his manager. “I
was very humbled to get that opportunity. There’s a lot of good talent in this
room and I could name a few other guys that could have taken my spot.”

That takes him back to El Paso on July 10, where the reliever who ended
2018 at High-A finally realized his worth at the top level of Minor League
Baseball.

“The one moment that stood out the most was that feeling I got when I was
on the mound. I felt so human because I was so nervous and it was my
first All-Star game in front of a great crowd in El Paso,” he said. “Before my
outing I had a little self-doubt in my head if I belonged. But when I got on
the mound, I was able to get to a point where I knew I belonged there and I
was having so much fun competing against these guys. You can’t trade that
experience for anything.”

Walsh will look to continue that success as the season draws to a close in
Charlotte, with his ultimate goal of reaching the big leagues within his grasp.

34 35