Two Hundred

The Garage

The one-car garage in Norristown had turf on the floor and a net so a kid could hit during Pennsylvania winters. Scott Walker — a steelworker and crane operator — threw batting practice to his son without an L-screen, drove around searching empty fields for practice space, and parked their trucks early for games. Walker met his wife Amanda when they were freshmen at Kennedy-Kenrick Catholic, where he hit .588 as a senior and won a prep home run derby at Tropicana Field that also featured Bryce Harper. Harper hit one 502 feet. Walker won the event.

The Dodgers drafted him in the 49th round out of high school. He did not sign. He went to South Carolina and helped the Gamecocks win the College World Series in 2010 and 2011. In the 2011 semifinal he fractured the hamate bone in his left wrist. Doctors said he could not play the finals. He played anyway, collected multiple hits, and scored the winning run against Florida in the first championship game. Baltimore took him in the fourth round in 2012. Scott died in 2016.

Two Hundred

On September 22, 2026, Walker hit his 200th career home run for the Houston Astros. He is 35, listed at 5-foot-11 and 208 pounds, and he plays first base. The number spans twelve seasons and three organizations — two years with the Orioles, eight in Arizona, and the two now in Houston. He debuted with Baltimore on September 17, 2014. In Arizona he won three consecutive NL Gold Gloves at first base from 2022 through 2024 and was the team's MVP in 2022. In 1,137 major-league games he has collected 981 hits and driven in 614 runs.

At his South Carolina home, his off-field interests are cooking and indoor handiwork — plumbing and electrical projects. He is in his second season with Houston, with 26 home runs in 151 games this year.

Reporting: Houston Chronicle, The Athletic, Baseball Player Profiles, University of South Carolina Athletics, Wikipedia. Career and biographical data: MLB StatsAPI, via the Fever engine.