In the fall of 2012, a gangly 18-year-old from Lexington, Ky., matriculated to Vanderbilt. He had turned down an offer to sign with the Pittsburgh Pirates so he could play college baseball. His stature would draw comparisons to Tim Lincecum, and his arsenal would one day remind his big league catcher of Justin Verlander. But Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin saw a different pitcher when he watched the teenaged Walker Buehler.
“I thought he looked like Orel Hershisher,” Corbin said of the former Dodgers ace. “The arm stroke was similar. He had similar movements. The body type is similar.