Christian Walker Stats & Scouting Report — College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects

AB	54
AVG	.278
OBP	.391
SLG	.463
HR	3

Full name Christian Dickson Walker
Born 03/28/1991 in Norristown, PA
Profile Ht.: 6'0" / Wt.: 208 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School South Carolina
Debut 09/17/2014
Drafted in the 4th round (132nd overall) by the Baltimore Orioles in 2012 (signed for $349,900).

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Walker is no stranger to the big stage. He quietly won the home run derby that started the firestorm of Bryce Harper coverage and he went on to be a key offensive piece in South Carolina's back-to-back national championships. He gutted out a broken hamate bone in Omaha in 2011 and the injury hasn't affected his offense. He was hitting .335/.462/.559 with 10 home runs in 2012 and had more walks (38) than strikeouts (19). He doesn't have a great frame at 6-feet, 220 pounds and is limited to first base defensively. But he has a good feel for hitting and his power is average to a tick above.

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Organization Prospect Rankings

The D-backs were the third team to claim Walker on waivers prior to the 2017 season, doing so just days before the end of spring training. They ran him through waivers as well, and he cleared, allowing Arizona to outright him to Triple-A Reno. But Walker put together a huge offensive season and won the MVP award in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, not only earning himself a spot back on the 40-man roster but finding his way on to the D-backs' Division Series roster against the Dodgers. Walker said he made changes to his bat path that helped produce more contact, evident in a strikeout rate that went from 25 percent in 2016 to 18 percent in 2017. Coaches rave about his hitting acumen. Walker is a fringe-average defender at first. He also has some experience in left field over the past two seasons but is below-average there. He is blocked at first base in Arizona by Paul Goldschmidt and will be 27 in 2018 and some scouts aren't convinced he'll ever be more than a bench bat. Still, Walker impressed the D-backs in 2017 with his power and approach, and he could be in the mix for a big league bench job.
Walker appeared in three consecutive College World Series finals with South Carolina and contributed to winning efforts in 2010 and 2011 and a runner-up finish in 2012. He broke out as a pro in 2014, when he hit 26 home runs combined at Double-A Bowie and Triple-A Norfolk to earn the organization's minor league player of the year award and a September callup. Walker's career has stalled at Triple-A since his 2014 breakthrough, however. In three seasons with Norfolk, he's hit .260/.324/.429 and received scant big league attention. He recognizes pitches well and possesses good bat speed, and he worked himself into better hitter's counts in 2016, but his above-average power is mitigated by a poor contact rate. A natural first baseman, Walker began playing left field in 2016 despite poor speed and athleticism because the Orioles blocked his path when they re-signed Chris Davis for seven years. Walker worked hard to improve defensively in the outfield and eventually became playable. If the Orioles lose righthanded power hitters Mark Trumbo, Steve Pearce and Nolan Reimold to free agency, the focus will shift to Walker and fellow prospect Trey Mancini at 2017 spring training.
The Orioles drafted Walker after he anchored lineups for back-to-back College World Series champs and a runner-up team at South Carolina. After hitting 13 homers his first two seasons, Walker hit 26 in 2014 and was named the Orioles' minor league player of the year. After a slow start in 2015 he had a big second half at Triple-A Norfolk, hitting 13 homers in 206 at-bats. One area where he saw falloff was batting against righthanders. He hit .309 with a .903 OPS in 2014 but just .238 with a .681 OPS against righties in 2015. Walker has sacrificed contact for power at higher levels, and his power is slightly ahead of his hit tool right now, with impressive batting-practice displays and the ability to drive the ball to rightcenter field. Walker keeps his bat in the zone a long time, recognizes pitches and has good bat speed. A below-average runner and modest athlete, he has worked hard to improve his defense and footwork at first base into the solid-average range. Walker is expected to return to Triple-A in 2016.
Walker was a rock in South Carolina's lineup for three seasons that included back-to-back College World Series championships and a runnerup finish in 2012. A fourth-round pick that season, he needed just more than two seasons to reach the major leagues, homering off the Red Sox's Rubby de la Rosa to right-center field on Sept. 20. Known as a solid hitter with gap-to-gap power, Walker's game took a big step forward in 2014 with an organization-best 27 home runs. Working with new minor league hitting coordinator Jeff Manto to increase his power, he produced all-fields power by using his legs more in his short swing. Walker keeps his bat in the zone a long time, recognizes pitches and has good bat speed. A modest athlete, Walker has improved his footwork but is more competent than an asset defensively, and is a below-average runner. Walker's makeup will be the separator if he becomes a regular. He should start 2015 as Triple-A Norfolk's first baseman. If the Orioles don't retain Chris Davis (a free agent after 2015), Walker could be his replacement.
After playing a key role on three College World Series teams at South Carolina, Walker turned pro with the Orioles as a fourth-rounder in 2012. He spent his first full season in 2013 at three levels and batted .300 over 103 games to rank fourth among Orioles minor leaguers despite leveling off at Double-A. His two pro seasons ended in August with lower-back soreness, and he rehabbed during instructional league and is expected to be healthy for spring training. Walker is a solid righthanded hitter with gap-to-gap power right now. He keeps his bat in the zone a long time, recognizes pitches well and has good bat speed. He has a consistent approach and competes well from at-bat to at-bat. He can drive the ball to right and right-center field, but many scouts doubt that he'll hit for the power associated with the first-base profile. He needs to work on looking for particular pitches and better understanding counts and how pitchers are working him. Walker's defense at first needs work, though he made footwork improvements in 2013 and has average hands. He doesn't have the speed to move to the outfield and isn't a great athlete. Walker will go as far as his bat takes him, and in 2014 it will take him back to Bowie.
Walker blasted 19 home runs to win the 2009 high school home run derby that is better known for sparking the Bryce Harper hoopla. Walker generated draft buzz that spring but turned down the Dodgers as a 49th-rounder to attend South Carolina. A key offensive contributor on Gamecocks teams that won national titles in 2010 and 2011 and finished runner-up in 2012, he tied Dustin Ackley's College World Series career hits record with 28 before signing with the Orioles for $349,900. He understands his fundamentally strong swing that features good hip rotation. He has uncanny bat-to-ball skills and a patient approach, which make him a tough out. Most scouts believe he has average game power, though Baltimore believes he has plus raw pop and the savvy to tap into it. Walker is limited to first base defensively and his bat will carry him as far as he goes. He moves well enough around the bag and has a below-average arm. Because of the offensive demands on first basemen, Walker is tough to profile, though several scouts say they won't be surprised if he outperforms expectations. He had drawn comparisons to Kevin Millar and Steve Pearce. Walker performed well in his pro debut at short-season Aberdeen, but he was limited with a lower-back injury during instructional league. He should open his first full pro season in low Class A, with the chance to earn a quick promotion.

Draft Prospects

Walker is no stranger to the big stage. He quietly won the home run derby that started the firestorm of Bryce Harper coverage and he went on to be a key offensive piece in South Carolina's back-to-back national championships. He gutted out a broken hamate bone in Omaha in 2011 and the injury hasn't affected his offense. He was hitting .335/.462/.559 with 10 home runs in 2012 and had more walks (38) than strikeouts (19). He doesn't have a great frame at 6-feet, 220 pounds and is limited to first base defensively. But he has a good feel for hitting and his power is average to a tick above.