Legend has it that years ago, a Christian Walker roamed the lands north of the Wall of Agua Prieta. Unlike his ice brethren north of Westeros, this Walker was straight fire, depositing baseballs into the atmosphere, turning them into hail before returning to the Earth as tiny comets with fire tails, landing amongst the congregation over smaller walls, much to the delight of fantasy nerds everywhere. It has been whispered that a phoenix was seen rising above the Valley of the Sun, dropping its droppings from time to time. While most cowered in fear and sought shelter, Christian Walker stepped up, looked to the heavens, then dropped to his knees, getting droppings dropped on him. It is no coincidence then that this Walker had the 158th-best season over the last five years, per the Razzball Historical Player Rater. But this Walker had always heard Boom Boom BoomBoom Boom sounds emanating from the south. And he was always curious and intrigued. He finally burst through the Wall of Agua Prieta like the Kool-Aid man, followed the source of the sound like Tom and Jerry smelling cheese from the kitchen, and arrived in Houstereos, where his powers have since been sapped like Samson after visiting Supercuts.
Walker is 34 years old, 5’11”, 208 pounds, and bats from the right side. He was selected in the fourth round of the 2012 MLB draft by the Baltimore Orioles.
In 2017, the Cincinnati Reds claimed him off waivers, then waived him a few weeks later. The Arizona Diamondbacks claimed him, and he was with the organization until the start of this season.
Walker exhibited good plate discipline with power from the get-go. In 2014 across Double-A and Triple-A, Walker accrued 599 plate appearances and finished with 26 home runs, 73 runs, 96 RBI, and two stolen bases with a 9.3% walk rate, 22% strikeout rate, and .201 ISO. In 2017, Walker received 592 plate appearances in Triple-A and finished with an impressive 32 home runs, 104 runs, 114 RBI, and five stolen bases with a 10.3% walk rate, 17.6% strikeout rate, and .288 ISO. Unfortunately, he was blocked at the major league level for playing time.
Christian Walker finally got his chance in 2019 and didn’t disappoint. Over 603 plate appearances, he belted 29 home runs with 86 runs, 73 RBI, and eight stolen bases. The walk rate was 11.1%, the strikeout rate ticked up to 25.7% but the ISO was .217.
2022 and 2023 were the magical seasons. In 667 plate appearances in 2022, Walker went for 36 home runs, 84 runs, 94 RBI, and two stolen bases. The following season, he put up 33 home runs, 86 runs, 103 RBI, and 11 stolen bases in 661 plate appearances. The walk rates were around 10%, strikeout rates 19% and ISO in the .230 area.
Through 579 plate appearances this season, Walker has 22 home runs, 63 runs, 76 RBI, and two stolen bases.
He’s been dropped in a ton of leagues, and this is what Grey wrote a few weeks ago: 2-for-4 and his 20th and 21st homer. Serious question: Would you draft Walker next year? If you answered yes, I can guess you don’t have him this year.
Let’s dig in.
The walk rate is down to 6.7% while the strikeout rate is way up at 27.3%. The ISO is also sub-.200 at .173.
The Statcast numbers are still very good, as the average exit velocity is 90.7 mph, barrel rate is a healthy 12.6% and the hard hit rate is 45.2%. The bat speed is in the 81st percentile at 74.2 mph. That’s still really good, but it has come down a bit, as he was in the 89th percentile last season and the 86th percentile in 2023.
Some of the plate discipline numbers are concerning. The swinging strike rate is 14.3%, the highest since 2018. That number was in the 11% range the prior two seasons. The chase rate is 28.1%, the highest mark since 2020. That number was 24.2% last season.
The home/road splits are the most concerning for me. The slash is .214/.293/.366 with a .151 ISO and 83 wRC+ at home. On the road, the slash is .250/.301/.441 with a .191 ISO and 105 wRC+.
This piece will go up on Thursday, so he does get a three-game series in Atlanta, but next week, there’s a six-game homestand against the Texas Rangers and Seattle Mariners.
The White Walkers must be proud that this Christian has decided to join their side.
