First look: Walters shows off arm, bat at Potomac

I got my first look at the play of newly acquired shortstop Zach Walters out of the University of San Diego in this week's matchup between the Single-A Potomac Nationals and the Salem Red Sox. He looks like a very sharp, toolsy player. The 6-foot-2, 195-lb. switch-hitter had throws from short and second during the game that were very strong, showed great velocity, and were delivered quickly. He was on target each time to first base. Walters also turned a nice 4-6-3 double play in Tuesday's game. Walters had two solid singles, showing off his swing. The Cheyenne, Wyo., product has a .286 average against right-handers so far this season. The 21-year old has played in eight games so far for the P-Nats, but his mid-season jump from Low-A to High-A has been fairly seamless. Walters is batting .267 and has had six hits in his last five games. Potomac Nationals manager Matt Lecroy said Walters has transitioned well to his new team and he has been impressed with what he has seen since the beginning of the month. "He is a big kid," Lecroy said. "He can run a little bit. He had some good swings here so far, and defensively, he has been really solid. We want to see him to continue to be more consistent at the plate. We have (only) seen him for about a week, but I like what I see." Walters went to college with P-Nats pitcher Sammy Solis at San Diego. They lived in the same dormitory as freshmen and spent three seasons on the field together with the Toreros. Solis said it has been nice having his college teammate back on the same club again. "It's pretty cool," Solis said. "We had three Toreros on this team when Sean Nicol was here. It is a lot of fun having someone familiar around." Update: Nicol has returned to the Potomac roster with infielder Justin Bloxom placed on the disabled list.