Chris Walker (baseball)
Christopher Dwayne Walker (born July 3, 1980 in Greenwood, Mississippi) is an outfielder currently in the Philadelphia Phillies organization. He was drafted in the 2002 Major League Baseball Draft from Georgia Southern University during his senior year at Georgia Southern University by the Chicago Cubs in the 6th round.
College career
During his college career at Georgia Southern University he stole 48 bases in 54 tries. He was the second-leading base stealer in Georgia Southern baseball history. He batted .324 while starting all 64 games in center field for the Southern Conference championship-winning Georgia Southern Eagles in .
Minor league career
As a Lansing Lugnut in , the Cubs' Low-A affiliate, he batted .282 with three home runs and 41 RBI in 123 games and stole 60 bases, setting the club's all-time base stealing record and achieving his first all-star team designation. In , while playing for the Daytona Cubs, he led the league with 97 runs scored, 14 triples, 60 stolen bases and 536 at-bats. He batted .284 with 60 stolen bases, and was named to the conference's post and mid-season all-star team, along with Carlos Marmol. At the Cubs' Double-A affiliate, the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx, Walker continued his all-star streak and hit .292 with 50 stolen bases. He led the Southern League in triples (11) and stolen bases (50), and was second in hits (150). He has been described as small but muscular, gifted with blazing speed, steals bases at a high percentage rate, flashes great range at center field, and has evolved into a selective hitter.
After being released from the Cubs during spring training, he signed with the independent Camden Riversharks of the Atlantic League. While with the Riversharks, Walker hit .290 with five home runs and 20 RBI. He also had seven stolen bases on nine attempts. Walker's contract was then bought by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and he was assigned to their Triple-A team, the Salt Lake Bees. He became a free agent at the end of the season and signed a minor league contract on December 17, 2008.