South Carolina baseball alum wins prestigious award again
For the third year in a row, South Carolina baseball alum Christian Walker has won the Rawlings Gold Glove. As the National League’s winner at first base, Walker beat out the Atlanta Braves’ Matt Olson and Bryce Harper of the Philadelphia Phillies. In a bit of irony, Harper was rumored to be a South Carolina commitment before electing to head to junior college for a faster route to pro ball; had he become a Gamecock, he would have been in Columbia at the same time as Walker.
Walker was deserving of the prestigious honor. The Arizona Diamondbacks star is a defensive wizard at first base. According to the advanced statistics on Baseball Savant, Walker logged very similar production on defense as in his previous two Gold Glove Award wins, despite playing in fewer games thanks to a trip to the IL. He led the league in Defensive Outs Above Average this year with +13.
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Walker’s three Gold Gloves are the most by any former Gamecock.
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The 33-year-old Walker is in line for a large payday this offseason. He is a free agent coming off of one of the best three-year stretches of any first baseman in baseball. Since 2022, Walker has averaged 32 home runs, 94 RBI, 81 runs scored, and 62 walks, while slashing .250/.332/.481/.813 and playing elite defense. He had a real case as an MLB All-Star each of those three seasons but was snubbed every time.
During his South Carolina baseball career, Christian Walker became a legendary figure in Columbia. The big first baseman began his career at third before moving across the diamond. However, in three years with the Gamecocks, Walker made two All-American teams and the Freshman All-American squad. He also was a two-time National Champion. The Pennsylvania native posted an elite career slash line of .336/.427/.533/.960. He also posted 80 extra-base hits and tied the College World Series record with 28 hits. He accomplished all of this despite playing injured during two of his three seasons in garnet and black.
