C. Walk at 500

Scott Walker drove his son to empty fields in a truck stocked with baseballs — batting practice, grounders, sometimes without a protective screen to stand behind. The family garage had turf and a net so Christian could swing through the winters. Scott Walker died in 2016. His son had debuted with the Baltimore Orioles two years earlier, played two seasons there, and would spend the next eight with the Arizona Diamondbacks starting in 2017.

The Glove

Arizona named Walker their rookie of the year in 2019. He became a first baseman who fielded the position well enough to win three consecutive NL Gold Gloves — 2022, 2023, and 2024 — and the Diamondbacks named him team MVP in 2022. Across his career he has 199 home runs, 611 runs batted in, and a .322 on-base percentage over 1,127 games.

Before the pros, the Dodgers selected Walker out of Kennedy-Kenrick Catholic High School in the 49th round of the 2009 draft. He did not sign. He went to the University of South Carolina, where he helped the Gamecocks win the College World Series in 2010 and 2011. In the 2011 semifinal he fractured a hamate bone in his wrist. Doctors told him not to play. He did anyway, collected multiple hits, and scored the winning run to help secure the championship. Baltimore took him in the fourth round in 2012.

Five Hundred

On March 28, 2026 — his 35th birthday — Walker scored his 500th career run. He has 564 now, across 12 seasons with Baltimore, Arizona, and Houston.

Walker met his wife Amanda when they were both high school freshmen. They are expecting their first child, a daughter. The Astros signed him before 2025, and Jeremy Peña, the Houston shortstop, has pointed to the extra work Walker puts in daily and the attention to detail behind it.

He is in his second season at first base for Houston.

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