Eaton's Walker Martin was born to be a big league baseball player, drafted by San Francisco Giants
Walker Martin's story begins at this barn next to his house. It's the place where a father taught his son to hit and field, but more importantly, it's a place where the two bonded.
"Without having this, I don't think I'd be where I am today," the 19-year old, Martin, said. "My dad and I spent numerous hours out here through the good and bad but mostly good. I can't thank him enough for building it because I don't know how many balls I've hit, but it's probably been like millions I swear."
"I'm not taking that net down," added Martin's father, Darrel. "I hope Walker will want to come back sometime, and I can feed him some balls in the future. Maybe kids who look up to Walker will want to come back and take some swings or something like that."
Darrel buit the barn 4 years before their house was built. He knew when Walker was 3 years old that baseball was in his blood.
"I think it was 2007 during the Rockies run he was watching Troy Tulowitzki, and he wanted a bat," Martin recalls. "It was a bat and ground balls in the backyard, and I loved it. I couldn't even change clothes when I got home. He was like, 'Dad, it's getting dark,' and that's just what we did, and it resonated with me that I wanted a place where my kids could come when it was 100 or zero degrees outside, and you could come in and play."
It's been time and money well spent. Walker was the tenth highest-position player from Colorado ever selected in the MLB draft. He hit 20 home runs this spring, which was not only the most in Colorado but the most in the entire nation. And he fell only one game short of tying the national record for consecutive games with a homer.
"When I lost that home run streak of 9 consecutive games, I didn't know it was a national thing," Walker said. "I had no idea about it, wasn't thinking about it, Just doing what I do, which is hit the ball hard."
Walker's ability to hit the ball hard is what caught the scouts attention. Last summer in San Diego at a national showcase, Martin had more hit above 100 miles per hour than any other prospect. He instantly went from off the radar to squarely on it.
"No one knew who I was, and I was trying to change that," Walker explained. "Coming into the summer, I had some goals for myself, and one of them was to show out at Area Codes. Being about to put on a performance and compete with the best players in my class is what I wanted to do. I knew I could do it because I believe in myself 100 percent."
Now, the teenager who is named after Larry Walker has a decision to make: Take a full ride scholarship to Arkansas, or sign with the San Francisco Giants. While his immediate future is unclear, his long-term goals are crystal.
CBS Colorado's Eric Christensen ask where Walker expects to be in 10 years, and what it will take take to get there. "I see myself in the major leagues," Walker said without hesitation. "Honestly I'm going to put everything I have into that because it's been one heck of a ride, and I'm not gonna stop now."
While Walker is off to bigger and better things, he and his dad will always have the bittersweet memories of where it all began.
"I don't like to think about that too much," Darrel said. "I was doing some yardwork. Walker was busy with some commitments, and my daughter, Riley, had gone to school, and I walked out here, and it was empty. It's gonna happen, but it's been great. It's been great."
