Christian Walker staying in shape and sizing up his chances with Orioles

While the rest of us are gorging on holiday treats and digging out our stretchy pants from the bottom of the closet, first baseman Christian Walker is probably counting his calories along with his blessings.

Walker, 24, showed up at FanFest declaring himself to be in the best shape of his life, a statement normally reserved for the first few days of spring training. He's never appeared soft, but now he's never felt better.

"Just really cleaning up what I've been eating," Walker said. "I really enjoy working out. I enjoy being in the weight room a lot, so that's a big part of my offseason agenda.

"My defense has been good. I think losing some weight helped my foot work a lot. I didn't lose any power. I'm stronger than I've ever been, so I'm happy and excited for the season."

Whatever it brings.

Walker is tracking the Orioles' offseason, including negotiations with first baseman Chris Davis and the trade for first baseman/outfielder Mark Trumbo. Naturally, they hold special interest to him.

"Yeah, I try to follow as much as I can through Twitter and television and all that, but to be honest, regardless of if I follow it or not, what's going to happen is going to happen," he said.

"I don't want to let anything affect how I prepare for this season. Whether there's an opportunity or any other circumstance, I just want to make sure I'm ready to play."

Walker was named the organization's minor league Player of the Year in 2014. He didn't reach the same heights this year, batting .257/.324/.423 with 33 doubles, 18 home runs and 74 RBIs in 138 games at Triple-A Norfolk, and he didn't stay at the same weight.

Asked whether he's ready to seize an opportunity with the Orioles, Walker replied, "Yes, absolutely. I'm prepared. I feel like I'm in the best shape I've ever been in. I'm excited for the season. Last year was a good year. I stayed healthy all season. All things considered, it was a solid season for me and I'd like to build off that and keep it going."

The focus on conditioning began around the middle of the season and just happened to coincide with Chris Davis' entrance into the free agent market.

"I guess it's good timing," said Walker, who's listed at 6 foot and 220 pounds. "I wasn't really trying to lose weight. I was just trying to clean up my lifestyle and get the most out of my body and I ended up losing a few pounds and getting in better shape, so it was a good situation."

Walker isn't in an ideal situation with Trumbo's arrival from the Mariners and he's attracted interest from other clubs. Also, Double-A Bowie first baseman Trey Mancini was chosen as the organization's minor league Player of the Year in 2015 and attracted most of the attention, darting up various prospect lists.

Nothing is going to be handed to Walker, who feels like he's benefited from his 13 games in the majors over the past two seasons. It's a cup of coffee that opened his eyes.

"Any experience helps regardless of the situation or how short-term or long-term it is," he said. "I try to take everything that I've learned from being there and being in the situations that I've been in and use them to my benefit. My hard work and everything will take care of itself."

The Orioles wanted Walker to improve his defense, a challenge that he took to heart.

"Just worked real hard around the base," he said. "I want my infielders to be 100 percent confident in me that I can pick anything and catch any ball that they throw to me. We have a lot of good infielders, a lot of good defenders on this team, and I don't want to be the weak link, if you will, in the chain.

"I'm confident. I feel like I'm good defensively. I worked really hard and I'm happy where I'm at."

He'd be thrilled to leave Harbor Park in Norfolk, a place that routinely turns home runs into outs.

"Yeah, that place is a graveyard for sure, but it probably forced some good habits," he said. "Stop trying to hit the ball a mile."