Bowie's Christian Walker talks about his solid season and all those homers

There have been a few players off to real solid starts in the Orioles minor leagues this season, but perhaps none is faring better right now than Double-A Bowie first baseman Christian Walker.

Walker has always been a good solid hitter with gap-to-gap power, but this year he's continuing to hit for a high average and he's mashing more homers, too.

Through 52 games, the 23-year-old right-handed hitter is batting .330 with eight doubles, a triple, 14 homers and 46 RBIs. He has an OBP of .390, a slugging percentage of .583 and a .973 OPS.

In his previous two seasons on the O's farm after they drafted him in round four of 2012 out of the University of South Carolina, Walker hit 13 homers in 125 games. He hit his 14th this season in his 49th game.

"I'm extremely happy with my offense right now," Walker said earlier this week. "My defense is making some serious strides, as well. It is a lot easier to hit with no pressure and some confidence and when good things are happening. You definitely have a better mindset at the plate."

Walker's said his homer surge - he has hit seven over his last 15 games - is not so much about physical adjustments or improvements he has made. It's more about the mental part of the game.

"I've learned a lot about myself as a hitter the last couple of years," Walker said. "I'm still learning - how I handle different situations, different pitches. But my mental approach is getting better and (I'm) still learning about myself and making adjustments.

"Just been trusting my hands and what I am working on in the cages. Translating the drills and the routines and taking it into a game swing.

"I always felt like the power was there. But it's been just keeping myself in a rhythm and not trying to do too much. Not really trying to yank the ball out of the park. Trusting that I can put my body in a good position to hit."

Walker's name is all over the Eastern League stat leaders. He is first in the league in total bases and RBIs, tied for first in homers, tied for second in hits, third in slugging and sixth in batting average. If he stayed in the league all year, he could make a run at the Triple Crown.

Walker said he has always had a gap-to-gap approach to hitting, working to try to hit the ball up the middle and not get pull happy.

"Yeah, that gives me the best chance of hitting all pitches to all fields," he said. "A neutral approach as to where to hit the ball and the contact point. That keeps me in the best position to hit.

"I've had a few homers with two strikes and my two-strike approach has been much better. If I am thinking gap-to-gap, I'm not in a position to get fooled by an off-speed pitch. It keeps me true throughout my whole at bat.

"You have to remember when you see the ball get deep, you can still hit a double the other way. You don't have to pull the ball to hit it hard. Just being comfortable up there is ultimately what it comes down to."

Walker played in the Futures Game last season, when he hit .300 with 11 homers, 56 RBIs and an .815 OPS in 103 games. His 2013 year began at Single-A Delmarva and then he later moved to Single-A Frederick and ended the season playing 17 games with Bowie.

If the solid approach at the plate Walker has been taking ever wavers for even a short time, he said Bowie hitting coach Butch Davis is there to get him back on track.

"Butch keeps me staying in the middle of the field. Sometimes, when I am seeing the ball well, my swing can get too aggressive and I can try to hit every pitch out. Butch keeps me level-headed, keeps me thinking up the middle and seeing the ball deep," Walker said.

Hitting third in that Bowie lineup hasn't hurt his cause either. He's got outfielder Dariel Alvarez having a big year batting behind him. The Baysox are second in the Eastern League in batting average and runs and first in homers. They've earned the nickname "Bowie Bashers."

"It's been awesome. We have so much protection in that lineup from top to bottom. No one wants to pitch around anyone to get to the next guy. The whole lineup has been awesome. We have a good mix of base hit and power guys," Walker said.

That might describe Walker, as well. He's getting plenty of base hits and keeping that average high. Now the homers are coming, as well.

Photos by Bill Vaughn