'Cutters' Walding enjoying big first week

For a while, Mitch Walding's professional baseball career consisted of workouts on hidden practice fields in humid Clearwater, Fla. The Phillies' 2011 fifth-round pick signed late last summer and, until this week, hadn't gotten a chance in the Minor Leagues.

He's quickly making up for lost time.

The lefty-hitting third baseman continued his big first week in the Minors, falling a triple shy of the cycle and driving in six runs as short-season Williamsport outslugged Auburn, 13-8, on Friday.

For Walding, just the opportunity to suit up and play under some Friday night lights has been a thrill. Producing for his new manager, Major League veteran Andy Tracy, has just made things sweeter.

"It's feeling really great, I'm very happy with the way everything is going," the 19-year-old said. "I can't even explain it, it's real nice -- not every day you can hit the ball real well, but I'm not trying to get too high. I know there will be down days coming, but hopefully, it keeps going."

Walding hit a two-run homer in the second inning, reached second on an error that led to a run in the fourth and delivered a two-run single in the fifth as Williamsport batted around and scored five times.

The California native added an RBI double in the sixth and stroked another single in the eighth, finishing 4-for-5 with two runs scored.

"Our hitting coach, Rafael DeLima, and manager, Andy Tracy, we've been working with using my hands more and seeing the ball, driving the ball," Walding said. "[On the home run], I got an 0-2 pitch, fastball on the outside, and I drove it the other way. It was really nice."

Walding's last two hits capped an already memorable evening, less than a week into his career with Philadelphia.

"There was a 3-0 count, bases loaded, and Andy Tracy gave me the go-ahead to hit," Walding said of his double in the sixth. "I was looking for a good pitch to hit, just trying to hit it right back up the middle, and that got our lead a little higher there.

"I'm seeing the ball well, my timing feels good. I'm also hitting the curve real well."

The St. Mary's High School product got hits in each of his first two games before going 4-for-5 with a double on Wednesday.

"It's feeling great, it's definitely an exciting time," he said. "I'm glad I'm doing well. And our team's winning, so I'm enjoying it."

It's been a long wait for Walding, who signed at the deadline last summer and spent his first weeks with the Phillies in the instructional league. He'd been at the team's Spring Training complex, waiting for his turn.

Of course, even Williamsport, a town perhaps best known for hosting the Little League World Series, feels like the bigs compared to the high school bus rides and long days in Florida to which Walding had grown accustomed.

"It's a whole different atmosphere. Here, you have good fans and you're playing for something more," he said. "When you're in high school, you're playing for your school and there's fans there, but not like it is here. It's more like a town team. You play under the lights, it just has a bigger meaning. In high school, my team was good, but this is a little more, it's a job and when you do well in your job, it's nice."

Walding, who also pitched in high school, had committed to the University of Oregon last year. But when the Phillies selected him with the final pick of the fifth round, a choice was made. A year later, he finally got the news he'd been assigned to a Minor League roster.

"It was great. I was really relieved they decided to bring me up here," he said. "I hated being down in Florida in the heat. This is real baseball, real professional stuff -- down there, you're dragging every day. Now you're under the lights, so it's fun every day."