Tag Archives: Christian Walker

February 15, 2025

Changes, Houston Astros

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The Astros acquired the following players for their 2025 active roster:

Houston represents another team that brought in very few new players.

Paredes and Wesneski came over the the Kyle Tucker trade, as the Astros turned one starter into two. Paredes’ strength comes from his isolated power. He doesn’t strike out much for a power hitter, but few of is batted balls fall for hits. He hits lots of fly balls, so if they don’t find the gaps or the stands, they tend to fall in gloves.

Wesneski moves into the fifth starter role. The Cubs used him as a swing man; the most innings they gave him in a season was 89.1 in 2023. At seasonal age 27, he should be able to handle a fuller workload. He tends to limit walks, but not home runs.

Walker players 2025 as a 34 year old, so once again the Astros try to solve first base with a veteran. He posted at least three fWAR in each of his last three seasons, but we’ll see how the transition to a less power friendly park hurts his offense.

Trammell takes over the backup outfielder role. He strikes out a ton, and power with some walks is his game. Thirty one of his 52 hits went for extra bases, and he’s drawn 40 walks. A very poor man’s Ken Phelps.

Replacing Alex Bregman with the prime age Paredes helps the team long run, but Tucker was a high price.

December 20, 2024

The New Abreu?

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The Astros once again go after an aging first baseman with a three-season deal:

Gold Glove first baseman Christian Walker and the Houston Astros agreed Friday to a $60 million, three-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.

Chron.com

Two years ago, the Astros signed Jose Abreu to a very similar contract after he posted 9.5 fWAR in the previous three seasons. Walker posted 10.8 fWAR in his last three seasons. He is two years younger than Abreu was at the time of his signing. The Astros released Abreu this season as he could no longer produce.

This seems like an odd signing to me. The Astros, in trading Kyle Tucker, appear to be headed toward a rebuilding period. Why not find a low-cost first baseman to fill the position until the team is ready to compete again? They seem to be in a bit of an in-between state. It may not take a very strong team to win the AL West, so it’s possible the front office believes they can win and rebuild at the same time. That’s tough to pull off, and they might end of doing neither.

July 30, 2024

Walker Replacement

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The Diamondbacks respond to the injury to Christian Walker by paying the Marlins cash for Josh Bell‘s contract:

Walker has quietly been the second-best first baseman in the game over the past three years. I don’t mean that hyperbolically; he’s second only to Freddie Freeman in WAR over that time period. He’s done it with good offense and outrageous, comically good first base defense. I don’t think I’m selling this enough. Per Statcast, Walker has been 38 outs above average over that time period. Carlos Santana is second… with 17. DRS scores it 33-20 in Walker’s favor, with Matt Olson at 21. However you look at it, Walker is head and shoulders above everyone else at the position.

FanGraphs.com

Basically, no one is going to fill Walker’s shoes. Bell owns a .305 OBP this season, well below his career average of .343. Maybe with a better club he can turn things around.

July 19, 2024

Setters and Clearers

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The one-two hitters in the Diamondbacks order reached base six times, while the three-four-five hitters collected five hits and two walks as Arizona spoiled the Cubs afternoon home game 5-2. It could have been a much higher scoring game for Arizona as they recorded 19 at bats with runners in scoring position. Luckily, Ryne Nelson and the bullpen were up to the job.

Christian Walker, batting fourth, went one for three with two walks and two RBI. Randy Holt pens a nice piece on Walker being a good example of non-linear development.

July 5, 2024

Best Batter Today

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Aaron Judge and Juan Soto of the Yankees remain one-two in the Baseball Musings Batter Rankings. Judge took an 0 for 4, striking out twice, while Soto homered and walked in an 8-4 Reds win, Cincinnati sweeping New York.

Yordan Alvarez of the Astros sits in third place after reaching base four times in a 5-3 win over the Blue Jays. Alvarez walked twice and was twice hit by a pitch. Gunnar Henderson of the Orioles posted another missed cycle with a three for five, including a double and a home run. The Mariners took the game 7-3, allowing them to hold their now slim two game lead over Houston.

Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers ranks fifth. He drew a walk in a 9-3 Diamondbacks win. Of note, in the game game, Christian Walker of the Diamondbacks went two for three with two walks and two home run for a game score of 80, the third highest of the day. Combined with his game score of 91 the day before, Walker jumped from 50th to 12th in the ranking in two day.

The best game score of the day belonged to Ian Happ of the Cubs, a 92, the 11th game score of 90+ this season. went four for four with a double and two home runs in a 10-2 rout of the Phillies. Happ is a good example of someone whose offensive contributions have little to do with his batting average. With a .238/.351/.448 slash line, his batting average only represents 30.5% of his offense. Judge and Soto are 1-2 at 26.6 and 28.7 percent respectively, while Happ ranks sixth.

July 4, 2024

Best Batter Today

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Yordan Alvarez of the Astros returns to the top five of the Baseball Musings Batter Rankings. His game score of 79 tied for the second highest of the day as he put together a three for three evening with a walk, two doubles, and a home run to help beat the Blue Jays 9-2. He suffered a fall-off in power in May, but hit two home runs on June first, and is slugging .804 since. He now ranks third.

Aaron Judge and Juan Soto of the Yankees remain one and two on the list. Judge drew a walk in four trips while Soto singled and walked twice in the 3-2 Reds win. Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers ranks fourth after a one for four in a 12-4 Diamondbacks win. Gunnar Henderson of the Orioles sits in fifth place as he took the collar in a 4-1 win over the Mariners.

In the Diamondbacks win, Christian Walker posted a game score of 91, the best of the day and the tenth time a batter reached 90 this season. He went four for five with a walk, a double, and two home runs. His .267/.339/.506 slash line is a bit better than his 2023 season. He’s walking a little less, but substituting hits, which is a very good trade-off.

October 30, 2023

Walker Ran

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Christian Walker of the Diamondbacks led off the bottom of the second inning with a double, then tries to score on a single by Tommy Pham to Adolis Garcia in right. At first the third base coach was waving him home, then threw up the stop sign. Walker didn’t see the change and ran into an out at the plate. It looked like the Diamondbacks had Max Scherzer in a pickle, but Alek Thomas hits Scherzer in the back with a batted ball, which ricochets to the third baseman, who throws Thomas out a first to end the inning.

A nice threat goes by the board, and the game remains scoreless after two innings.

October 20, 2023

Phillies Phlubs

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The Phillies play fumble on defense in the bottom of the second inning, leading to an unearned run and a 1-0 Diamondbacks lead. An error, a ball that could have been a double play and a passed ball gave Christian Walker the chance to turn an out into a run, and he comes all the way around to score.

The Phillies greatly improved their defense this season, so that was a very atypical inning for them.

October 11, 2023

Diamondbacks Dingers

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The Diamondbacks power comes alive in the bottom of the third inning. They set a record with four home runs in the inning, all solo shots, against Lance Lynn of the Dodgers. Gabriel Moreno appeared to hit the fourth home run down the rightfield line into the Dodgers bullpen. It was initially called fair, but the replay showed it foul. On the next pitch, Moreno hits the ball harder, and drives it out to left-center for the true fourth home run of the inning. Geraldo Perdomo, Ketel Marte, and Christian Walker hit the others.

The Diamondbacks lead the Dodgers 4-0 at the end of three innings.

September 27, 2023

Best Batter Today

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Juan Soto of the Padres posted a big game Tuesday night to stay atop the Baseball Musings Batter Rankings. He went three four four with a walk and two home runs for a game score of 83, second highest on the day. The Padres downed the Giants 4-0. Ronald Acuna Jr.of the Braves stayed in second place with a home run in four trips to the plate in a 7-6 comeback win against the Cubs. His teammate, Matt Olson singled and walked in the game for fourth place. The Braves need a win or a Dodgers loss to claim the top seed in the NL.

Yordan Alvarez of the Astros ranks third after he posted a rare 0 for 5 in a 6-2 Mariners win, Seattle keeping hope alive with the victory. Mookie Betts of the Dodgers went two for five in the first game of a doubleheader against the Rockies for fifth place. The Rockies won that game 4-1, but LA won the nightcap without Betts 11-2. Freddie Freeman hit his 58th double of the season in that game.

The best game score of the day belonged to Christian Walker of the Diamondbacks, an 84. He went three for five with a triple and two home runs in a 15-4 win over the White Sox. Arizona is now in second place among the NL Wild Card contenders.

August 17, 2023

Best Batter Today

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Matt Olson of the Braves stays on top of the Baseball Musings Batter Rankings despite an 0 for 3 in a 2-0 win over the Yankees. His teammate, Ronald Acuna Jr.drew a walk in the game to drop to fourth place.

Passing Acuna and gaining on Olson is Freddie Freeman of the Dodgers. He went two for five with his 44th double of the season, and closes to about six points behind Olson. Freeman is now 22 points behind Luis Arraez for the batting title as Arraez goes one for five to fall to .361. Freeman’s teammate, Mookie Betts, also moves up past Acuna. Betts went three for four with a walk for third place. The Dodgers continue their surge with a 7-1 win over the Brewers.

Kyle Tucker of the Astros posted a two for five night with a home run in a 12-5 win over the Marlins. Tucker remains in fifth place.

The best game score of the day belongs to Christian Walker of the Diamondbacks, an 89. He went three for three with two home runs and two walks in a 9-7 win at Colorado. Walker looks like a late bloomer as his two best years come at seasonal ages 31 and 32. He’s already topped his doubles total from 2022, and it looks like he’s set single season highs for hits and RBI, with a decent chance of topping his 2022 home run total of 36.

July 18, 2023

29 Runs

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The Diamondbacks defeat the Braves 16-13, the highest scoring game of 2023 as the teams combine for 29 runs. That level is fairly rare. We are in the 20th season of MLB testing for steroids, and in that time, this is the 34th game with at least 29 runs scored. From 1993 to 2003, the eleven year span that saw offense soar, there were 34 games that reached that level.

This game certainly qualified as a slugfest, with seven doubles, a triple and six home runs. Christian Walker of the Diamondbacks and Austin Riley of the Braves each hit two home runs, Riley adding a double as he drove in seven runs to five for Walker. Geraldo Perdomo hit a two-run double in the ninth to ice the victory for Arizona. It was actually a close game, and the lead for either team never exceeded three runs.

July 12, 2023

Barefoot in the Park

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This article discusses pre-game relaxation techniques used by players, although it’s a bit exaggerated in some players for me. Christian Walker likes to walk barefoot in the grass before pre-game workouts:

For nearly a decade, Walker has counted on this time before each game to connect his mind and body. And on this occasion, he even made a barehanded catch while sitting with his legs out, somehow corralling a two-hopper from Nick Ahmed during Diamondbacks early hitting — a first for Walker utilizing his Gold Glove defensive skills since beginning his routine of “earthing.”

The intent of barefoot walking is wide-ranging: give the feet opportunity to move without the constraints of shoes to potentially decrease pain and inflammation, lower stress and help normalize the nervous system for improved sleep and day-to-day function among other potential benefits for the heart, cortisol levels and mental health.

“The science of grounding is harnessing the earth’s energy,” Walker explains.

Chron.com

Sure.

These types of things work. Early in the pandemic, I had a bad week and my daughter suggest an app that helped you work through the stress. I did deep breathing and mindfulness exercises. One that I particularly liked was going for a walk and concentrating on different senses. At different times I concentrated on what I was hearing, smelling, even how the ground under my feet felt to me. I trained my brain to think of something other than the stress.

I’d rather people not pretend there is some pseudo science going on here involving the earth’s energy, but relaxation is tremendously important to an athlete’s success. I’m glad these players have found a way to improve that.

June 29, 2023

Beat the Streak Picks

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For the past few years Baseball Musings tried to help with playing Beat the Streak. The Day by Day Database keeps track of hit streak of at least five games. In addition, two programs produce top ten lists of players with a high probability of a hit.

Here are the top picks my programs produced for use in Beat the Streak. This post mostly explains the ideas behind the calculations. In addition, this post shows tests on the Neural Network (NN). This post discusses an NN that includes the ballpark. I updated the models, and the results of those tests are here.

The Log5 Method yields these top picks:

It’s sad to see Wainwright reached the point in his career where he can turn a whole team into great hitters.

Here are the NN picks:

  • 0.341, 0.784 — Luis Arraez batting against Brayan Bello.
  • 0.304, 0.733 — Bo Bichette batting against Ryan Walker.
  • 0.300, 0.720 — Freddie Freeman batting against Chase Anderson.
  • 0.298, 0.711 — Harold Ramirez batting against Brandon Pfaadt.
  • 0.270, 0.704 — Nick Castellanos batting against Kyle Hendricks.
  • 0.328, 0.702 — Mauricio Dubon batting against Adam Wainwright.
  • 0.296, 0.700 — Yandy Diaz batting against Brandon Pfaadt.
  • 0.302, 0.699 — Josh Naylor batting against Zack Greinke.
  • 0.299, 0.697 — Jose Ramirez batting against Zack Greinke.
  • 0.308, 0.694 — Jose Altuve batting against Adam Wainwright.
  • 0.271, 0.694 — Ezequiel Duran batting against Reese Olson.

Arraez and Bichette, the consensus double down choices, are both working on double digit hit streaks. Two Walkers are also hitting, with Jordan Walker of Cardinals with a 16-game streak and Christian Walker of the Diamondbacks with an eleven game streak.

You can follow the NN results on this spreadsheet. I do not guarantee results. Your best pick is going to have about a 25% chance of not getting a hit. Good luck!

May 3, 2023

Jung at Heart

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Josh Jung of the Rangers hit two home runs Wednesday afternoon, his second two home run game in as many weeks. With another two-homer game in September of 2022, Jung has three multi-home run games in his 54 MLB appearances, or in 5.5% of his games played. Compare that to Babe Ruth, who holds the record for multi-HR games with 72. Ruth did that in 2503 games, or 2.8% of his games. Jung is off to a great start to his career in this regard.

Unfortunately for the Rangers, that was not enough as the Diamondbacks win 12-7. Christian Walker hit two home runs for Arizona in the game, and the two teams drove a total of eight balls out of the yard.

August 15, 2022

Best Batter Today

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Alex Bregman of the Astros rejoins the top five of the Baseball Musings Batter Rankings. He posts a two for four with a double and a home run in a 6-3 win over the Athletics to jump into fourth place. Bregman collected hits in 15 of his last 17 games, with a .373/.465/.661 slash line. At seasonal age 28, he’s still in his prime, and maybe he’s returning to form after a series of injuries.

Aaron Judge of the Yankees remains on top, although the gap between Judge and Paul Goldschmidt of the Cardinals shrunk. Judge goes 0 for 4 with three strikeouts in the 3-0 Red Sox victory. He remains on a pace for 65 home runs with his most likely total 58*. His probability of hitting at least 62 home runs to set a new AL single season record drops to 0.113.

*During the ESPN telecast of the game, they selected Gleyber Torres as the on field conversation. One question they asked Torres was how many home runs Judge would hit, and he said 57, with the comment that Torres hoped Judge would hit more. Its’ nice to see that this prediction is in line with an expert. I have liked those talks this season, but for the first time I noticed that they distracted the fielder as Torres broke late on a ground ball and it got by his dive, then bobbled a throw from the outfield. He then turned a double play to end the inning. No one really acknowledged the distraction until later in the game when David Cone said, the he was very glad Torres turned the DP.

Goldschmidt drew two walks in the 6-3 win over the Brewers, while his teammate Nolan Arenado stayed in third place with an 0 for 4. Fifth place belongs to Freddie Freeman of the Dodgers, 0 for 4 in a 4-0 Royals win.

The best game score of the day goes to Christian Walker of the Diamondbacks, an 83. He goes four for five with two doubles and a home run in a 7-4 win over the Rockies. Walker is all power this season, with a .218 BA and a .469 slugging percentage. He walks enough to have an okay .315 OBP. He cut down his strikeouts this season, but that did not lead to a higher batting average.