Former Gamecock Christian Walker finds new home with AL West team in free agency
After a few weeks of going through free agency, former Gamecock Christian Walker has found a new home in his MLB career.
According to MLB analyst and insider Jim Bowden, a deal between the Houston Astros and Walker is done. It’s reportedly a three-year, $60 million deal, per USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. But the Arizona Diamondbacks, Walker’s former club, would receiver a pick after the first round of the 2025 MLB Draft. The Astors would forfeit their second- and fifth-highest draft pick slots as well as $1 million from their international signing bonus pool.
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Walker, who turns 34 in March, hit .251 with 26 homers and 84 RBI in 479 at-bats with the Diamondbacks in 2024. As one of the better defensive players in baseball, he took home his third straight Gold Glove award. He played 129 games at first base and only made two errors while fielding at a .998 percent clip.
After being drafted out of South Carolina in 2012, Walker made his MLB debut two years later with the Baltimore Orioles. He was then designated for assignment by the club in 2017 before being claimed off waivers by the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds, though he never played a game for either team.
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Eventually, he was claimed off waivers for a third time, this time by the Diamondbacks, where he got his chance to show what he could do. In eight seasons with Arizona, he hit .251 with 146 homers, 157 doubles and drove in 442 runs. He led the team in home runs and RBI in 2022 and 2023.
Before his pro ball days, Walker was a key contributor in helping the Gamecocks win their second-straight College World Series title in 2011. In two seasons in Columbia, he hit .341 with 21 homers and 117 RBI in 136 games.
