By Erica Bunting
Sixty Million. Three-year deal. Yet, twenty-two games into the season, he is sporting a disappointing .154 batting average. Christian Walker needs to turn it around as soon as possible. Would this jolt come during the Astros series with San Diego Padres on the weekend of April 18th?
Christian Walker signed with the Houston Astros in 2024 as a free agent. He has previously played for the Baltimore Orioles and the Arizona Diamondbacks. He is considered one of the best defensive players in the major leagues, having won three Golden Glove awards. But his defensive abilities have not done enough to compensate for his offensive woes.
Through these first two dozen games, his performance has not been what the Astros’ organization has hoped for. His OPS has fallen nearly 50 points below the league average. It is a different Walker than the 26 doubles and 26 home runs he hit last season with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Going into the series against the San Diego Padres in late April, Astors Head Coach Joe Espada shifted Walker down in the batting order from 4th to 5th. “[I] wanted to change some things up there in the middle,” Espada said in a pre-game interview with the Houston Chronicle. “I get it,” Walker said in an interview with Yahoo! Sports, “We’re here to win. And if I’m not doing what I need to be to help the team win in the four-hole, an adjustment needs to be made.”
On Saturday night, April 19th, Walker made his first big swing as a Houston Astro. In the bottom of the sixth inning, he smashed a two-run home run to tie the game. With a rocky start to the season, this was the at-bat he needed to turn himself around. “Really good swing–big hit, big at-bat. I’m happy for him. He’s grinding,” Espada said in an interview with Major League Baseball News. “Just to come through in a spot, you feel like you’re helping the team,” Walker told the Houston Chronicle. “That’s something I’ve been craving largely, something I need to be better at.”
Walker’s continuous efforts to improve have never been more evident. He has been working tirelessly in batting practice, focusing on his swing path to the ball and his follow-through. He understands the position he is in. As a three-time Golden Glove winner and an incredible defensive player, he also needs to capitalize on offensive opportunities. He has turned around his batting average within the past couple of weeks, getting better each series at the plate. Astros staff and fans are excited to see what else he can bring to the organization, hoping Walker will contribute to a hopeful playoff run in October.
Was it his continuous hard work? Moving him down in the batting order? – Whatever it was, a spark went off, and this was the Christian Walker the Astros have been waiting for.
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