Like Looking in a Mirror

It seemed as though Christian Walker’s MLB debut was a sure thing a couple of weeks ago with Chris Davis batting below the Mendoza Line. However, Davis’ bat has come alive these past three games. During the Toronto series, he hit two home runs; one to right field and one to left field. He also drove in three runs and hit a double down the first base line despite the defensive shift that was in place.

With Davis starting to heat up and do what he does best (hit home runs), the question is: Where does that leave Walker at?

Walker’s Major League debut relies solely on Davis’ success at the plate. If Davis starts hitting well, the old adage will come into play for Dan Duquette and Buck Showalter– “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.”

Currently Walker is batting .284/.382/.527 with the Norfolk Tides. Although his batting average has dipped down a bit, his home run power has not. In the past ten games, Walker has hit four homers, including a solo shot to left-center field in last  night’s 4-5 loss to the Gwinnett Braves.

With home run power comes being prone to strike out a lot. Walker has struck out twice in four of the past ten games.

Walker and Davis are similar in many ways. Both strike out a lot (Davis-134 K’s; Walker-102 K’s). Both hit a lot of home runs (Davis-19; Walker-24). And both play great defense at first base. With the Norfolk Tides, Walker has a .994 fielding percentage at first base. With the Orioles this season, Davis has an even more impressive .998 fielding percentage at first base. One could almost say Walker and Davis’ play is like looking in a mirror.

Right now, Buck Showalter will more than likely keep Walker down in Norfolk as Davis continues to hit with some consistency, but keep your eye on Walker to make the move up to Baltimore come late-September for Postseason play.