Walker Janek

Walker Payne Janek (born September 24, 2002) is an American baseball player from Portland, Texas. He is a college baseball catcher for the Sam Houston Bearkats. Janek was selected as the 28th pick in the first round of the 2024 MLB Draft for the Houston Astros.

Amateur career
Janek grew up in Portland, Texas and attended Gregory-Portland High School. Janek committed to play college baseball at Sam Houston State University.

Janek batted .308 with seven home runs and 33 RBIs during his freshman season with the Sam Houston Bearkats. As a sophomore he hit .301 with 17 doubles, 13 home runs, and 65 RBIs. Janek was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 2023 Western Athletic Conference baseball tournament. After the season, Janek played summer collegiate baseball for the Falmouth Commodores of the Cape Cod Baseball League. In 2024, Janek won the Buster Posey Award. Over 58 games as a junior, he batted .364 with 17 home runs and 58 RBIs.

Janek was selected by the Houston Astros in the first round with the 28th overall pick in the 2024 Major League Baseball draft.