Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles selected Walker in the fourth round of the 2012 Major League Baseball draft. [5] [6] He made his debut for the Aberdeen IronBirds. He played in 22 games and hit .284/.376/.420 with two home runs. Walker started 2013 with the Delmarva Shorebirds. [7] In May he was promoted to the Frederick Keys. [8] In July he played in the All-Star Futures Game. [9] After the game he was promoted to the Double-A Bowie Baysox. He finished the year playing in 103 games and hit .300/.362/.453 with 11 home runs. Walker started 2014 back with Bowie. [10] [11]
On September 17,2014,Walker was called up to the Orioles from the Triple–A Norfolk Tides. [12] He made his major league debut later that day. Facing Toronto Blue Jays pitcher J. A. Happ,Walker hit a double for his first major league hit. [13] On September 20,Walker had his first multi-hit game,including his first career major league home run,off Boston Red Sox starter,Rubby De La Rosa. [14] In 6 games during his rookie campaign,he went 3-for-18 (.167) with 1 home run and 1 RBI. [15] Walker played in 7 games for the Orioles in 2015,going 1-for-9 (.111) with 3 walks. [16]
Walker did not appear for the Orioles in 2016,instead spending the year with the Triple-A Norfolk. In 131 appearances for Norfolk,he slashed .264/.321/.437 with 18 home runs and 64 RBI. [17] On February 21,2017,Walker was designated for assignment by the Orioles following the acquisition of Richard Bleier. [18]
Arizona Diamondbacks
On March 6,2017,the Cincinnati Reds claimed Walker off waivers. The Atlanta Braves also put a waiver claim on Walker,but lost due to the order. [19]
On March 28,2017,Walker was waived by the Reds and claimed off waivers by the Arizona Diamondbacks. On March 30,he was removed from the 40-man roster and sent outright to the Triple-A Reno Aces of the Pacific Coast League (PCL). [20] He was selected as the 2017 PCL Most Valuable Player after hitting .309/.382/.597 with 32 home runs and 114 RBI in 133 games for Reno. [21] On September 10,the Diamondbacks selected Walker's contract,adding him to their active roster. [22] In 11 games for the team,he went 3-for-12 (.250) with 2 home runs and 2 RBI. [23]
Walker played in 37 games for Arizona in 2018,hitting .163/.226/.388 with three home runs,six RBI,and one stolen base. [24]
In 2019,Walker made 152 appearances for the Diamondbacks,batting .259/.348/.476 with career-highs in home runs (29) and RBI (73). [25] He had a 9 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) rating,the best in the National League among first basemen,and led all major league first basemen with 139 assists. [26] [27] In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season,Walker played in 57 of 60 possible games and slashed .271/.333/.459 with seven home runs and 34 RBI. [28]
Walker made 115 appearances for Arizona during the 2021 campaign,batting .244/.315/.382 with 10 home runs and 46 RBI. [29] In 2022,Walker played in 160 games and hit a career-high 36 home runs with 94 RBI. [30] Following the season,he won his first career Gold Glove Award. [31]
On January 13,2023,Walker agreed to a one-year,$6.5 million contract with the Diamondbacks,avoiding salary arbitration. [32] He finished the season batting .258/.333/.497 with 33 home runs and a career-high 103 RBI in 157 games played. Walker also helped lead the Diamondbacks to the 2023 World Series,where they lost to the Texas Rangers in five games. [33] After the season,he won his second consecutive Gold Glove Award. [34]
Walker played in 130 games for the Diamondbacks in 2024,batting .251/.335/.468 with 26 home runs and 84 RBI. [35] He won the Gold Glove Award for the third straight year. [36]
