Todd Walker

Infobox MLB retired
name=Todd Walker


position=Second baseman
bats=Left
throws=Right
birthdate=birth date and age|1973|5|25
Bakersfield, California
deathdate=
debutdate=August 30
debutyear=by|1996
debutteam=Minnesota Twins
finaldate=May 10
finalyear=by|2007
finalteam=Oakland Athletics
stat1label=Batting average
stat1value=.289
stat2label=Home runs
stat2value=107
stat3label=Runs batted in
stat3value=545
teams=
* Minnesota Twins (by|1996-by|2000)
* Colorado Rockies (by|2000-by|2001)
* Cincinnati Reds (by|2001-by|2002)
* Boston Red Sox (by|2003)
* Chicago Cubs (by|2004-by|2006)
* San Diego Padres (by|2006)
* Oakland Athletics (by|2007)
highlights=
* 1993 College World Series Most Outstanding Player

Todd Arthur Walker (born May 25, 1973, in Bakersfield, California) is a former Major League Baseball infielder.

College

Walker attended LSU where he led the Tigers to the 1993 national championship. He also earned the 1993 College World Series Most Outstanding Player award. In 2006, Walker was elected to the LSU Hall of Fame.

Professional career

In by|1994, the Minnesota Twins drafted Walker with the 8th pick in the 1st Round of the amateur draft. On August 30, by|1996, Walker made his major league debut with the Twins. In by|1998, Walker became the starting second baseman for the Twins, hitting .316 with 12 HR, 62 RBIs, 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 the Colorado Rockies. He responded by hitting .316 through the rest of by|2000 and .297 through the first half of by|2001.

The Cincinnati Reds, in need of a better performance from its second base position, traded for Walker in July by|2001. Walker rewarded the Reds by providing consistent offense, hitting .295 through the end of the season. In by|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, the Boston Red Sox hired Theo Epstein as their new General Manager. One of his first moves was trading for Walker. During by|2003, Walker continued to provide consistent offense, hitting .283 with 13 HR and setting a career high with 85 RBIs. The Red Sox made the playoffs and Walker stepped up his performance again; he hit .313 with three homers in the American League Division Series against the Oakland A's, and .370 with two more homers and hits in every game against the New York Yankees in the ALCS. The Red Sox were eliminated in 7 games. Walker's 5 postseason homers are still a Red Sox record. Despite his performance, Walker was allowed to leave, signing with the Chicago Cubs via free agency.

Over the next three seasons, Walker attempted to maintain his offensive performance with the Cubs, but found himself playing less, platooning with younger players. Walker hit .274 (by|2004), .305 (by|2005), and .277 (through July by|2006). However, he began to share time at second base with other players like Neifi Perez, and started to make appearances at first base and in the outfield.

At the end of July 2006, the San Diego Padres were attempting to make the playoffs while the Cubs were already out of the race. Before the trading deadline, the Padres traded low-A pitching prospect Jose Ceda to the Cubs for Walker, who became the new starting third baseman. He hit .282 down the stretch, and the Padres made the playoffs, but were eliminated in the first round by the St. Louis Cardinals.

In by|2007, Walker attended Spring 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, 2007, he signed with the Oakland A's.

On May 12, 2007, Walker was designated for assignment to make room for Dallas Braden. Walker was subsquently released.

Personal life

Todd is a graduate of Airline High School in Bossier City, Louisiana. He married his high school sweetheart, Katie Burns.

External links

*baseball-reference|id=w/walketo04
* [http://www.lsusports.net/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=27865&SPID=2173&DB_OEM_ID=5200&ATCLID=304671 LSU Hall of Fame: Walker's Successes Unparalleled at LSU]