| Todd Walker | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Walker sliding into second base in 2002 | |
| Second baseman | |
| Born: (1973-05-25)May 25, 1973 (age 51) Bakersfield, California, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| August 30, 1996, for the Minnesota Twins | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| May 10, 2007, for the Oakland Athletics | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .289 |
| Home runs | 107 |
| Runs batted in | 545 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
Todd Arthur Walker (born May 25, 1973) is an American former professionalbaseballinfielder who played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) from 1996 to 2007. Listed at 6 feet 0 inches (1.83 m) and 180 pounds (82 kg), he batted left-handed and threw right-handed. Walker playedcollege baseball atLouisiana State University (LSU) and is an inductee of theNational College Baseball Hall of Fame.
Walker played college baseball for theLSU Tigers baseball team. In 1992, he playedcollegiate summer baseball with theBrewster Whitecaps of theCape Cod Baseball League and was named a league all-star.[1][2] He was a member of LSU's1993 College World Series championship squad, and was named theCollege World Series Most Outstanding Player.[3]
In 2006, Walker was elected to theLSU Hall of Fame.[4] In July 2009, Walker was inducted into theNational College Baseball Hall of Fame inLubbock, Texas.[5] On April 14, 2017, Walker'suniform number 12 was retired by LSU atAlex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field.[6]
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In 1994, theMinnesota Twins drafted Walker with the 8th pick in the 1st Round of the amateur draft. On August 30, 1996, Walker made his major league debut with the Twins. In 1998, Walker became the starting second baseman for the Twins, hitting .316 with 12HR, 62RBIs, and a career best 19 stolen bases.
Over the next season and a half, Walker's offensive performance began to decline, and the Twins traded Walker to theColorado Rockies. He responded by hitting .316 through the rest of 2000 and .297 through the first half of 2001. Walker hit 12 home runs as a member of the Rockies that year.
TheCincinnati Reds, in need of a better performance from its second base position, traded for Walker in July 2001. Walker rewarded the Reds by providing consistent offense, hitting .295 through the end of the season. In 2002, Walker enjoyed another fine year, hitting .299 with 11 HR and 64 RBIs and setting career highs with 42 doubles and 155 games played.
Following the season, theBoston Red Sox hiredTheo Epstein as their new general manager. One of his first moves was trading for Walker. During 2003, Walker continued to provide consistent offense, hitting .283 with 13 HR and setting a career high with 85 RBIs. On September 23 that year, with the Red Sox trailing theBaltimore Orioles 5-2 in the ninth inning, Walker hit a two-out, two-strike, three-run home run offJorge Julio to tie the game. (The Sox won, 6-5, onDavid Ortiz's walk-off home run in the tenth.)[7] The Red Sox made the playoffs and Walker stepped up his performance again; he hit .313 with three homers in theAmerican League Division Series against theOakland A's, and .370 with two more homers and hits in every game against theNew York Yankees in theALCS. The Red Sox were eliminated in 7 games. Walker's five postseason homers are still a Red Sox record. Despite his performance, Walker was allowed to leave, signing with theChicago Cubs via free agency.
Over the next three seasons, Walker attempted to maintain his offensive performance with the Cubs, but found himself playing less and platooning with younger players. Walker hit .274 (2004), .305 (2005), and .277 (through July 2006). However, he began to share time at second base with other players likeNeifi Pérez, and started to make appearances atfirst base and in theoutfield.
At the end of July 2006, theSan Diego Padres were attempting to make the playoffs while the Cubs were already out of the race. Before the non-waiver trade deadline, the Padres traded low-A pitching prospectJosé Ceda to the Cubs for Walker, who became the new starting third baseman. He hit .282 down the stretch and the Padres made theplayoffs, but were eliminated in the first round by theSt. Louis Cardinals.
In 2007, Walker attendedspring training with the Padres. However, during the offseason, the Padres had restocked the team with more infielders and left-handed hitters and, after a poor performance during the exhibition season, Walker was released on March 27. On March 30, he signed with theOakland Athletics. On May 12, Walker wasdesignated for assignment to make room forDallas Braden, and subsequently released.
In 1288 games over 12 seasons, Walker posted a .289batting average (1316-for-4554) with 647runs, 284doubles, 30triples, 107home runs, 545RBI, 66stolen bases, 421bases on balls, .348on-base percentage and .435slugging percentage. He finished his career with a .981fielding percentage playing at second, third and first base. In 15 postseason games, he batted .288 (15-for-52) with 9 runs, 5 home runs and 6 RBI.
From 2013 to 2015, Walker coached baseball atCalvary Baptist Academy inShreveport, Louisiana.[8]
In 2017, Walker worked withNew England Sports Network (NESN) as a studio analyst and occasionalcolor commentator; he rejoined NESN in July 2019 to work in the same capacity.[9]